The study aimed to analyze thoracic and lumbar erector spinae muscle activations during 3D elongation exercises in individuals with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Participants included 24 adolescents, meeting specific criteria such as a Cobb angle between 10° and 20°, and not having undergone surgical or brace treatments. EMG data were collected to evaluate muscle activations. The study found no significant interaction between exercise type and the side of the curve, but a significant main effect of exercise type on muscle activation, irrespective of Cobb angle. Different exercise types significantly affected muscle activity, with the highest activations in the TheraBand exercise, followed by manual and without equipment conditions. This suggests that exercise type significantly impacts muscle engagement in AIS patients, providing valuable insights for targeted exercise program design. The study, however, focused on short-term muscle activation, not long-term Cobb angle progression, pointing to the need for further research in this area.

Speeding is a significant global issue, with disparities in speed outcome and speed research between low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs). This study aims to address speed research gaps by examining the prevalence of self-reported speeding and factors influencing drivers' speeding behavior (SB) using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). An online survey involving 387 anonymous drivers was conducted in Yaoundé. Results showed that all drivers reported exceeding speed limits, with 81% exceeding by 5km/h, 12% by 10km/h, and 7% by more than 10km/h in urban areas. On highways, 54% reported exceeded the limit by more than 10km/h. Age, driver's license, and gender showed significant associations with speed limits non-compliance. The study results suggests that the TPB can be useful in assessing speeding behavior, as the inclusion of TPB variables led to a more than 50% proportionate increase in SB variance. Structural equation modeling revealed attitude towards speeding as the strongest predictor of speeding intention (SI), along with certain demographics indirectly influencing SB through SI. Perceived behavioral control (PBC) and SI directly influenced SB. These findings emphasize the potential of interventions targeting attitude, intentions, and perceived behavioral control to modify speeding behavior and improve road safety.

This study examines the environmental challenges faced by Malaysian industries in adhering to industrial effluent regulations with the research question, what are the challenges in complying with environmental legislations from industries? It investigates the primary factors contributing to non-compliance and the perspectives, knowledge, and needs of Malaysian industries regarding environmental compliance. This study recommends the best strategy for promoting self-compliance. Thirteen stakeholders from various industries with environmental management experience were interviewed. Over the past seven years, these industries have shown low com-pliance with the Industrial Effluent Regulation 2009, prompting an exploration of their adaptability to regulations. Challenges identified include cost, employee attitudes, technology, management support, public complaints, and jurisdictional issues. Responses varied from divergent to unified viewpoints, highlighting the complexity of compliance issues. Respondents suggested enhancing compliance through behavioral changes, including incentives, enforcement, awareness, guidance, industry ratings, management commitment, and public disclosure of emissions. Suggestions for improvement and innovative solutions emerged based on participants' experiences, emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement. The study emphasizes the government's crucial role in ensuring regulation adherence but underscores the need for analyzing barriers and exploring alternative approaches. Understanding industry perspectives and strategies is essential for progress. Compliance, however, requires an analysis of the current challenges and adopting adaptive measures. It is important to understand industries' perspectives and strategies to move forward.

Abstract: This study investigates the transition to sustainable shipping industry within the framework of the IMO's 2050 carbon neutrality objective, focusing on socio-technical systems analysis. The research delves into the sustainable paradigm shift towards alternative marine fuels such as LNG, methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen from a socio-technical transition perspective, analyzing the multi-level per-spective challenges and opportunities. Specifically, it scrutinizes the implications of adopting these al-ternative fuels for global shipping, identifying technical uncertainties, financial constraints, and infra-structure needs. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature on ship emissions and alterna-tive fuels, coupled with socio-technical transition theory, the study addresses the multifaceted chal-lenges and opportunities in meeting the IMO's environmental objectives. It emphasizes the necessity of collaborative governance, innovative niche strategies, and a holistic approach to leverage the current window of opportunity in facilitating the maritime industry's transition to sustainable fuel options. Fi-nally, this research enhances our understanding of the intricate interplay between technological, social, industrial, and cultural dynamics in the greening of shipping and offers insights into the strategic adop-tion of environmentally friendly marine fuels for a sustainable future.

The implementation of cybersecurity standards and directives in the maritime sector plays a crucial role in protecting critical maritime infrastructures from cyber threats. The level of protection depends heavily on humans. However, the effectiveness of cybersecurity training and compliance programs, an essential component of these standards, is often hindered by challenges related to the sector’s environment, including the established technologies, practices, and norms. This paper aims to identify these challenges through a literature review and set the basis for more effective human risk minimisation, responses, and training. We identify 18 challenges and validate them with an online survey (N=205) capturing real-world perspectives from maritime-related stakeholders. Our findings contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of maritime cybersecurity training and compliance programs, ultimately strengthening the maritime cybersecurity posture.

This empirical study examines the complex dynamics influencing the effectiveness and performance of Compliance Officers (COs) within Cypriot organizations. With a focus on exploring the relationships between jurisdictional complexities, industry-specific regulations, organizational size, professional experience, Artificial intelligence-based tools, and readiness to technology adoption, this research employs a comprehensive approach to shed light on the multifaceted factors shaping CO roles. Leveraging a structural equation modelling framework, data was collected through a questionnaire survey administered to COs across diverse sectors. The results indicate that industry-specific regulations, organizational size, and professional experience significantly impact CO effectiveness, while the mediating role of AI-based tools and the moderating influence of technology adoption further enhance these relationships. The findings contribute to both theoretical knowledge and practical implications, offering insights for organizations and policymakers to optimize compliance efforts. While acknowledging limitations, this study lays the foundation for a deeper understanding of CO roles in the contemporary regulatory landscape.

Considering the unquestionable role of education in economic development, it has an impact at a macroeconomic level—contributing to enhancing productivity and innovation, reducing poverty and promoting social cohesion—and at a personal level—ensuring the improvement of knowledge, skills and individual capabilities and promoting social values like empowerment and equality. Notably, quality education is recognized as one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which, jointly with other behaviors and attitudes, could impact the development of societies in other fields like health and well-being, cultural preservation, environmental sustainability and even peace and stability—all of them also listed as SDGs. However, the capacity, or not, to reach higher levels of compliance with quality in education (SDG 4) varies from country to country, according to the 2023 Sustainable Development Report results. Thus, the present study used a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to assess the conditions for attaining higher levels of quality education based on the different indicators used to measure SDG 4. The analysis will allow comparisons of results among different countries and provide information about the initiatives that could be relevant to increasing quality education worldwide and for policymakers.

The paper examines the various uncertainties encountered in high-frequency trading (HFT) environments and delves into the multiple challenges faced by HFT firms in navigating the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (referred to as the "Dodd-Frank Act"), particularly during the initial stages of its enactment. These challenges include the ambiguity surrounding the definition of HFT, the lack of clarity regarding regulatory requirements and boundaries, inconsistencies in enforcement resulting from deviations in understanding the content, and the absence of detailed descriptions of the Act’s provisions. These hurdles significantly impact not only the daily operations of HFT firms but also pose higher demands on their long-term strategic planning and risk management. Drawing upon the Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom, and Purpose (DIKWP) model, this study employs an innovative analytical framework. Through the comprehensive application of conceptual space, cognitive space, and semantic space, it provides a systematic methodology for identifying and analyzing the aforementioned issues. This approach not only aids firms in better comprehending and adhering to complex regulatory requirements but also enables them to explore new business opportunities and competitive advantages while ensuring compliance.

We propose and experimentally realize a scheme of the optical nonreciprocity (ONR) using degenerate two-level atoms embedded in an optical ring cavity. For the degenerate transition Fg=4→Fe=3, we first study the cavity-transmission property in different coupling field, and verify that within the strong-coupling regime, the single-dark-state peak formed by electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) shows ONR. Qualitative theoretical analysis shows that the stable ground-state Zeeman coherence is necessary for intracavity EIT. However, due to the frequency degeneracy, the large Rabi frequency of counter-propagating coupling field can reduce the number of effective atoms and weaken the strong-coupling of the atom-cavity, which determines that ONR based on intracavity EIT occurs only at weaker probe intensity. Furthermore, the ONR transmission with high contrast, linewidth-narrowed and broadband is experimentally demonstrated.

The arsRBC operon encodes a 3-protein arsenic resistance system. ArsR regulates the transcription of the operon, while ArsB and ArsC are involved in exporting trivalent arsenic and reducing pentavalent arsenic respectively. Previous research in Agrobacterium tumefaciens 5A demonstrated ArsR has regulatory control over a wide range of metal related proteins and metabolic pathways. We hypothesized that ArsR has broad regulatory control in other Gram-negative bacteria and set out to test this. Here, we use differential proteomics to investigate changes caused by the presence of the arsR gene in human microbiome-relevant Escherichia coli during arsenite (AsIII) exposure. We show that ArsR has broad-ranging impacts such as the expression of TCA cycle enzymes during AsIII stress. Additionally, we found that the Isc [Fe-S] cluster and molybdenum cofactor assembly proteins are upregulated regardless of the presence of ArsR under these same conditions. An important finding from this differential proteomics analysis was the identification of response mechanisms that were strain, ArsR, and arsenic specific, providing new clarity to this complex regulon. Given the widespread occurrence of the arsRBC operon, these findings should have broad applicability across microbial genera, including sensitive environments such as the human gastrointestinal tract.

In the era of massive construction, damaged and aging infrastructure are becoming more common. Defects, such as cracking, spalling, etc., are main types of structural damage that widely occur. Hence, ensuring the safe operation existing infrastructure through health monitoring has emerged as an important challenge facing structural engineers. In recent years, intelligent approaches, such as data driven machine and deep learning crack detection, gradually dominate over traditional methods. Among them, the semantic segmentation using deep learning models is a process of characterization of accurate location and portrait of cracks using pixel level classification. Most available studies rely on single model knowledge to perform this task. However, it is well-known that the single model might suffer from low variance and low ability to generalize in case of data alteration. By leveraging the ensemble deep learning philosophy, a novel corporative semantic segmentation of concrete cracks method called Co-CrackSegment is proposed. Firstly, five models, namely the U-net, SegNet, DeepCrack19, DeepLabV3-ResNet50, and DeepLabV3-ResNet101 are trained to serve as core models for the ensemble model Co-CrackSegment. To build the ensemble model Co-CrackSegment, a new iterative approach based on the best evaluation metrics, namely the dice score, IoU, pixel accuracy, precision, and recall metrics is developed. Results show that the Co-CrackSegment exhibits a prominent performance compared to core models and weighted average ensemble by means of the considered best statistical metrics.

Background and Objectives: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a degenerative disease that is targeting continuously people of different ages, but especially the elderly population, the number of which tends to increase continuously at the global level. Apart from age, excess weight can influence the evolution of the disease, with obesity being associated with a weak inflammation stage, and an imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The present work aimed to identify specific biomarkers alike ACRP-30, IL-10, TNF-α, and IL-6 in synovial fluid and correlate them with patients’ clinical data. Materials and Methods: 24 subjects with KOA and over 50 years of age are involved in the present study. All patients performed a supine X-ray at the target knee. Ultrasound was performed using an ESAOTE MyLab Omega (ESAOTE Spa, Italy) ultrasound device and a 6-19 MHz linear array transducer. Results: The obtained results highlighted a significant correlation between age and adiponectin level (p=0.0451, r=-0.412). Also, the IL-10 values are lower in cases where the intensity of the pain is more pronounced (p=0.0405, r=-0.421). In addition, analyzing the data by gender, it was observed that in the case of males, stiffness is more related to age (p=0.0079, r=0.7993), compared to women (p=0.0203, r=0.6223). In the case of women, the progression of the disease tends to increase more intensively total WOMAC score’s values (p=0.00031, r=0.8342), compared with men (p=0.0289, r=7013). Regarding interleukins and BMI, significant correlations were observed only in the case of men. Conclusions: A significant correlation between age and adiponectin, and adiponectin and IL-6, suggests that advanced age may contribute to adiponectin reduction. Comparing men with women, it was observed that men's age is more related to rigidity, and IL-6 and IL-10 are directly correlated to BMI and women seem to be more sensitive to pain and stiffness.

This study proposes a flexible and adaptable protocol for the establishment of agricultural management zones that utilises remote sensing, ground truthing (apparent electrical conductivity and soil sampling), the IRRIGOPTIMAL® system and machine learning. This protocol could contribute significantly to the rational use of inputs (water, fertilizers and pesticides) and to the further efficient development of an optimal irrigation system with variable irrigation rates. The methodology to develop this protocol was applied to olive and alfalfa plots in Heraklion (Crete, Greece) to monitor soil and crop responses for the period 2022-2024. Spatial and temporal assessment of selected soil and plant parameters (moisture, photosynthetic activity) using ground and vegetation reflectance mapping by satellites and unmanned aerial systems provides important information in both the pre- and main phases of the management zone delineation. Geophysical methods such as electromagnetic induction, applied in the main phase of management zone delineation, provide a robust technique to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of apparent electrical conductivity. The Random Forest machine learning model was found to be most suitable for predicting soil electrical conductivity based on satellite-derived salinity indices and ground electromagnetic induction. Finally, the IRRIGOPTIMAL® system provides real-time monitoring of a variety of weather and soil parameters to determine the optimal cultivation of crops based on the creation of agricultural management zones.

Abstract This study delved into the application of various machine learning (ML) models for the classification of lung cancer levels. Through meticulous monitoring of parameters such as minimum child weight and learning rate, efforts were made to mitigate overfitting while optimizing model performance. The Deep Neural Network (DNN) emerged as a standout performer, showcasing robust performance across training, validation, and testing stages. Ensemble methods like voting and bagging also demonstrated promising results. However, Support Vector Machine (SVM) models with the Sigmoid kernel faced challenges in achieving satisfactory performance. Overall, the investigation sheds light on the efficacy of different ML models in lung cancer level classification and underscores the importance of parameter tuning to address overfitting concerns.

High-spin states of 192Tl are populated by the heavy ion fusion-evaporation reaction 181Ta(16O, 5n)192Tl at 97 MeV beam energy. A new level scheme with eight new levels is constructed and the level spins are tentatively assigned. The negative-parity yrast band is extended up to 23^{-}\hbar. Subsequently, the systematics of signature splitting and signature inversion are discussed for the negative-parity yrast band of odd-odd Tl isotopes including 192Tl, 194Tl, 196Tl, and 198Tl. With the increase of neutron number signature inversion is found in 196,198Tl at high-spin state in these four Tl isotopes. The reason may be due to the competition between neutron-proton interaction and Coriolis force.

Agroforestry practices evolve with the development of basic and advanced facilities, changes in natural and artificial factors of land use change. The study aims to examine the socioeconomic characteristics and compare satisfaction levels across forest products and vegetable farming of the agroforestry community in Khost Province. Data were collected from 662 farmers and was analyzed using univariate Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) and Multivariate Analysis of Variances (MANOVA). The results found that forest and vegetable products, including fruits, berries, herbs, mushrooms, wild animals, oils, wood, honey, okra, eggplant, carrot, cucumber, pine nuts, pepper, and timber has different impact in terms of satisfaction with basic and advanced facilities, knowledge about land use and impacts, natural and artificial factors of land use change, and positive and negative impact of land use change. The limitation of the study included an absence of exogenous factors in the model such as climate change, financial conditions, market fluctuations, regulatory system, an area in which the study is selected, research design, and current condition of endogenous factors. Overall, agroforestry practices can improve the socioeconomic development of agroforestry-dependent communities in Khost Province, Afghanistan. This study provided useful insights for policymakers and development practitioners to promote agroforestry practice adoption and improve the socioeconomic development of agroforestry-dependent communities. Future works could explore the implications of agroforestry practices on the socioeconomic development of other dependent communities in Afghanistan.

Personal protective equipment (P PE) rules must be respected and followed to the letter of healthcare professionals in Cameroon to avoid the transmission of infectious diseases. This research proposes solutions to the problems of non-adherence and non-compliance among healthcare workers in Cameroon towards PPE rules. Inadequate access to suitable PPE, discomfort when wearing PPE during poor quality, and a lack of training on correct PPE use are just a few of these obstacles amongst HCWs in Cameroon. Hospitals and healthcare facilities should prioritize offering thorough instruction on PPE use and pinpoint the need to adhere consistently to PPE rules to remove these obstacles. They should also ensure that all healthcare personnel have access to and a sufficient supply of the proper PPE. Through the organization of impromptu visits by surveillance teams to identify areas of support and training, there is a need for assistance from government bodies and public health groups in creating awareness of the security value of PPE use among healthcare professionals. There is a lack of PPE in health care settings in rural areas in Cameroon, thus a need for an adequate supply. Then can we put appropriate PPE policies and practices for HCWs in Cameroon, as they will keep to it.Healthcare professionals in Cameroon must comprehend that following PPE standards protects not just their selves from diseases but also their patients, coworkers, and communities. We are accountable for ensuring everyone's safety and well-being, and adhering to PPE regulations is an essential first step.

The interaction forces and mechanical properties of the interaction between melittin (Mel) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are considered a crucial driving force for Mel in killing Gram−negative bacteria (GNB). However, how their interaction forces are performed at the single−molecule level and the dissociation kinetic characteristics of the Mel/LPS complex remain poorly understood. In this study, the single−molecule level interaction forces between Mel and LPSs from E. coil K−12, O55:B5, O111:B4, and O128:B12 were explored using atomic force microscopy (AFM) based single−molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS). Further, the AFM−based dynamic force spectroscopy (DFS) and advanced analytical model were employed to investigate the kinetic characteristics of the Mel/LPSs complex dissociation. The results indicated that Mel could interact with both rough (R)−form LPS (E. coli K−12) and smooth (S)−form LPSs (E. coli O55:B5, O111:B4, O128:B12), and the S−form LPSs showed a more robust interaction with Mel than R−form LPS, and a slight difference existed in the interaction forces between Mel and diverse S−form LPSs. The Mel interacts with S−form LPSs showed greater specific and non−specific interaction forces than R−form LPS (p < 0.05), as determined by AFM−based SMFS. However, there was no significant difference in the specific and non−specific interaction forces among the three S−form LPSs (p > 0.05), indicating the variability of O−antigen could not affect the interaction between Mel and LPSs. The DFS result showed that the Mel/S−form LPSs complexes had a lower dissociation rate constant (koff), a shorter energy barrier width (xβ), a longer bond lifetime (τoff), and a higher height of the energy barrier (∆G), demonstrating that Mel could interact with S−form LPSs to form more stable complexes. In conclusion, this study promotes our knowledge of the interaction micromechanics and kinetics characteristics between Mel and LPS at the single−molecule level. Moreover, it can help us design and evaluate new anti−GNB drugs.

A power factor correction (PFC) rectifier is compulsory for any electronic circuitry connected to the electrical grid. The majority of PFCs that are utilized are based on a step-up converter that supplies high DC voltage at its output terminal. Electric vehicle battery voltage varies from a few hundred to almost a thousand volts. Thus, an additional conversion step is obligatory when designing an all-brand universal charger. This paper presents a new type of front-end versatile step up / down three voltage level PFC. The rectifier can operate in continuous conduction mode or discontinuous conduction mode. First, the rectifier’s principle of operation is described, and then an innovative rectifier is analyzed for continuous and discontinuous conduction modes. Finally, the proposed theory is experimentally validated in a multiplier-less dual loop mode at discontinuous conduction modes. It was shown that although there is no multiplier use in the control circuitry, the power factor is near unity. It was revealed that the rectifier could swing the output voltage from 50 V to 900 V while the input voltage was 230 Vrms. The innovative topology suits any standard PFC rectifier, three-level voltage supplement, and dual-stage low-voltage power supply.

Pollution, urbanization and technological advancements have posed stress on the ecosystem and its matrices. Globally, pollutants are observed in all compartments of ecological communities which affect the integrity of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. Xenobiotics bioaccumulate and biomagnify across trophic levels or webs. Heavy metals have been implicated in impacts towards biodiversity and environmental declination. In Nigeria, wastes issues are a cause of concern and landfilling or are waste disposal approaches that cause deleterious effects such as depauperation of diversity and species decline, prompting the non-invasive ecotoxicological hazard assessments. Feathers were used to assess concentration levels of 13 metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Co, Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, Al, B, Se and Hg) using fast atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS), one-way ANOVA was used in comparing variations in mean concentrations across trophic levels, diversity indices and point count methods were used to estimate diversity and abundance. Four avian species were assessed Hirundo aethiopica (insectivore), Streptoptelia senegalensis (granivore), Turdus pelios (omnivore), and Anthus leucophrys. (insectivore). Observed concentrations of important metals like iron were high with the insectivores having the highest concentrations of iron (2.6985 ± 0.1975 ppm) and granivores having the lowest (2.0100 ± 0.3172 ppm). The insectivores had the highest concentrations for cadmium, cobalt and chromium (0.0005 ± 0.0005ppm), nickel (at 00.0012 ± 0.0017 ppm) and least was observed in the granivores (0.0003 ± 0.0006 ppm). Selenium concentrations were quite high in insectivores (0.0775 ± 0.0035 ppm) and lowest in granivores (0.0433 ± 0.0015 ppm) likewise mercury for insectivores (0.0280 ± 0.0010 ppm) and granivores (0.0213 ± 0.0015 ppm). From the study, it is apparent that landfills are sources of pollution and poor management of wastes can affect biota (causing effects such as asymmetry and bioaccumulation) and ecosystem balance. The observation of heavy metals in the feathers serve as good sentinels due to their trophic levels and could be signs for what could be yet to occur. The heavy metal concentrations were significantly different at p < 0.05.

European strategic policy directions towards a sustainable blue economy have strengthened interest in maritime investments, thus increasing sectoral competition for marine space. Emerging repercussions out of such a rising interest need to be handled by Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as a means for: properly allocating marine space to diverse uses; managing conflicts and promoting synergies among them; and pursuing a multi-use perspective of this space. A critical stage of each MSP exercise is the exploration of land-based spatial/developmental directions and their current or potential repercussions in the marine environment in order for constraints but also perspectives in policy choices/maritime uses in the MSP context to be featured; and attainment of a successful coherence or coordination between land and marine spatial/developmental policies to be ensured, by analyzing Land-Sea-Interaction (LSI) and embedding it in the MSP. The latter is the focus of this paper aiming to illuminate critical issues emerging from land-based (terrestrial) policy frameworks for feeding MSP endeavors; and is accomplished in the Northern Aegean Sea, Greece. Towards this end, a multilevel approach is adopted, delving into diverse policy contexts at the local, regional and national/European level and aiming to attain more informed MSP decisions in the specific study region.

D-dimer testing in combination with clinical assessment is commonly used to diagnose suspected DVT and pulmonary embolism. However, as D-dimer levels are physiologically higher in elderly patients, this test loses clinical specificity in the setting of geriatric patients. The aim of our study was to investigate the changes in D-dimer levels with age and the specificity of the D-dimer test in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. 1617 elderly patients consecutively admitted to the Geriatric Emergency Care Department of the INRCA-IRCCS hospital between January 2013 and February 2014 and for whom D-dimer results were available were included. The D-dimer immunoturbidimetric assay was performed on a cs-2100i Sysmex Siemens using a conventional cut-off level of 500 µg/L. The median D-dimer level was 1200 [550-2990] µg/L FEU, and the percentage of patients with D-dimer levels below the conventional cut-off was only 22.1%. As expected, there was a significant age-related increase in D-dimer, even when sex was considered, and a significant decrease in the specificity of D-dimer assay with age. The most established use of D-dimer testing is in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Our study confirms the need for an age-adjusted cut-off for D-dimer testing in geriatric patients.

Undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies such as anemia are considered significant public health challenges in Bangladesh, which enhancing fish consumption is a well-established food-based intervention to address these. This paper documents the establishment of community-based fish chutney production and reports the impact of its consumption on mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels among targeted 150 pregnant and lactating women (PLW) in rural Bangladesh. A fish chutney was developed using locally available ingredients followed by a series of laboratory tests, including nutrient composition, shelf-life and food safety. A community-based fish chutney production process was designed to: 1) supply locally available ingredients for processing; 2) establish two fish drying sites; 3) initiate a community-based production site, and 4) distribute fish chutney to PLW by six women nutrition field facilitators for one year. Then a pre- and post-intervention study was designed for a selected 150 PLW to receive 30g of fish chutney daily for 12 months. Differences in mean mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels pre- and post-consumption were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. Consumption of 30g of fish-chutney resulted in significant increases of the mean values of Hb levels and MUAC among the targeted PLW.

Student-centered active learning (SCAL) shifts the focus from the teacher to the student. Implementing SCAL requires the development of new forms of assessment beyond memorization and comprehension. This paper aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of SCAL by analyzing student performance at different cognitive levels. In flipped classrooms, students completed tasks with varying cognitive demands. The tests measured knowledge (level 1), comprehension (level 2), application (level 3) and analysis (level 4). This approach to assessment assesses not only the acquisition of content, but also skills that are critical to a health science student's future career. The results of expository learning were compared with student-centered collaborative learning in the Anatomy and Embryology I course over three academic years. Student opinions were collected through 326 anonymous Wooclap® surveys. No differences in performance were found for low cognitive level questions. However, SCAL significantly improved performance on higher cognitive level questions that required problem solving and application of knowledge. Despite the benefits of SCAL, it requires more effort from both teachers and students. The current assessment system, which measures the quality of teaching, penalizes this effort and requires teachers to believe strongly in the effectiveness of SCAL.

The aim was to evaluate the agreement between plaque detection with intraoral scanner system (IOS) and a conventional clinical method and to evaluate the inter-rater reliability for scoring 3D models with and without a disclosing agent. 14 participants were recruited from the Department of Operative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University name blinded to reviewers, it is completed after the reviewing process. Participants eligible for inclusion were adults with good general health and a minimum of 20 teeth. Participants were clinically examined with plaque assessment according to the modified Quigley-Hein plaque index before and after using a disclosing agent (GC-Tri Plaque ID-Gel, GC). Before and after the application of the disclosing agent, all study participants were scanned using the IOS (TRIOS5, 3Shape TRIOS A/S). The clinical examiner and additional three examiners blinded to the clinical examination assessed plaque status on the acquired 3D models with and without disclosing agent using the same index to evaluate the inter-rater agreement. Intraclass coefficient correlation, one sample t-test and Cronbach’s α for inter-rater reliability were calculated. All methods showed moderate to strong correlations (Spearman’s rho ranging from 0.527 to 0.618) and Cronbach’s α ranged from 0.551 to 0.766. Level of agreement between con-ventional clinical registration and registration from 3D models was acceptable overall.

Neonatal mortality remains a public health concern and timely identification and prompt intervention in the delivery room could improve the outcome in neonatal morbidity and mortality. We performed a retrospective study to help us finding the profile of the high-risk newborn regarding the need for NICU admission, necessary to establish a protocol regarding the mobilization of human and material resources for the urgent management of these situations. All deliveries and neonates born in Maternity of Bihor County Emergency Clinical Hospital from Romania were reviewed, including relevant maternal, foetal and perinatal data to identify risk factors that result in birth of newborns needing resuscitation at birth between 2012-2019. The number of births showed a downward trend but around 90% of the births were on term. The incidence of neonatal emergencies is increasing, the most frequently were respiratory, sepsis and other infections, cardiovascular emergencies, and extreme prematurity. It is noted that in 2021 the incidence of these neurological emergencies increased by three times compared to previous years. The neonatal and maternal risk factors associated with admission to the NICU were mother's age over 35 years, low level of education, second/more gestation, weight under 2500 g, Apgar score under 7, premature rupture of membranes, macrosomia and mother's infectious pathology. Accurate identification of risk factors and anticipation at the birth of a high-risk neonate would result in adequate preparation and prompt resuscitation of neonates who need some level of intervention and thus, reducing neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Introduction: Since its emergence COVID-19 has become a global health threat. In Uganda, a number of COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been put in place by the Ministry of Health Uganda, to mitigate the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic among the population. Despite the putting in place COVID-19 SOPs, the deadly COVID-19 pandemic is still ravaging the population of Iganga District. This study investigated the level of compliance to guidelines for prevention of COVID-19 in public places in Iganga District so as to guide decision makers in making recommendations towards the entire public in order to prevent community acquisition and spread of COVID-19. Methodology: To deliver answers to the research objectives, the study adopted a cross-sectional survey design to guide the study process. Quantitative method of data collection using observational checklist were adopted for this study. The same data abstraction form helped to collect data from 3 public places which included: 3 markets, 5 public transport stations and 8 financial banks. Compliance was measured were the YES scored 1 and NO scored 0 and the ten indicators measured included: temperature screening, wearing of face masks, hand washing or sanitizing, physical distancing of at least 2 meters, information display on COVID-19, regular cleaning of public service places, cleaning of communal places, adequate ventilation, adequate waste management facilities and cleanliness of the work area. Overall a 4 point Likert scale used was: 0-2 poor, 3-5 fair, 6-8 good, 9-10 excellent were each indicator was equally important. Data was entered, cleaned and analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2019 spread sheet packages to generate tables and bar graphs. Results: Out of 5 public transportation stations studied, 80% were observed to be poorly compliant to covid-19 SOPs. On the other hand, out of 8 Financial Banks included in this study, 75% were observed to have excellent compliance levels to COVID-19 SOPs. Meanwhile, out of 3 Market places studied, 66.7% were observed to be poorly compliant to covid-19 SOPs. Conclusion; The results of the study revealed that; public places in Iganga district generally have low level of compliance to COVID-19 SOPs in terms of temperature screening, wearing of face masks, hand washing or sanitizing, social distancing of at least 2 meters and information display on COVID-19 Dos and Don’ts. Our findings suggest that there is a need to mobilize the population in Iganga district to comply with COVID-19 SOPs in terms of temperature screening, wearing of face masks, hand washing or sanitizing, social distancing of at least 2 meters and information display on COVID-19 Dos and Don’ts.

Background: One challenge in implant dentistry is to reduce marginal bone resorption to avoid long-term esthetic and biological complications. Sub-gingival implant placement has been suggested as a suitable strategy. Methods: 38 healthy patients were enrolled to receive bone level (BL – Control group) or 2 mm sub-crestal (SC - Test group) conical connection, platform-switched implants. An immediate tissue level abutment was used in the Test group by following a One Time Abutment (OTA) restorative procedure. Marginal Bone Modification (MBM) was calcu-latied on standardized radiographs at surgery (T0), loading (T1), and 6 months (T2) and 12 months after loading (T3), and cathegorised in Bone Loss (BL) if the resorption occurred below the implant neck and Bone Remodeling (BR) if above. Pocket probing depth (PPD), Bleeding on probing (BoP) and Plaque Index (PI) were also collected. Results: The mean MBM in the test group after 12 months was 0.61mm, compared to 0.52mm in the control group. However, no BL was observed in the test group, as the MBM completely occurred above the implant neck as BR, whilst in the control group MBM corresponded in total to BL. The average PPD was 2.38mm in the test group and 3.04mm in the control group after 12 months, BoP 50% and 43%, PI 33% and 19.44% respectively. Conclusions: Sub-crestal conical connection, platform-switched implants could be a suitable clinical choice to avoid BL with exposure of the treated implants surfaces.

The geological and hydrological conditions of tunnels near reservoirs are complex, and the impact of water level changes on the stability and leakage assessment of the lining structure is not considered in the current leakage evaluation. In order to construct an evaluation model for leakage level of tunnels near reservoirs, the influence of water level changes on tunnel stability and changes in environmental conditions on the leakage of tunnels were researched. Based on the AHP and extensibility theory, a hierarchical system for leakage assessment, incorporating values from nine indexes representing three aspects: geological conditions, hydrological conditions, and tunnel engineering. Numerical simulation was used to analyze the influence of water level changes. It was found that the water level change index greatly influences the displacement and stress distribution inside the tunnel structure. The leakage evaluation model was applied to the Tiebeishan Tunnel, resulting in a rating of 3, indicating medium-level leakage. Attention should be paid to water leakage in tunnels with changes in reservoir water levels. The leakage evaluation model for tunnels near reservoirs can effectively assess leakage levels under various conditions, providing a reference for safety assessments of tunnel leakage near reservoirs.

In the field of quality analysis of food and flavoring products, gas chromatography – quadrupole mass spectrometry – ion mobility spectrometry (GC-QMS-IMS) is a powerful technique for the simultaneous detection of volatile organic compounds (VOC) by both QMS and IMS. GC is an established technique for the separation of complex VOC-rich foods such as beverages, dairy and fruit products as well as flavorings in general. While the subsequent detection by IMS features soft ionization of fragile compounds (e.g., terpenes) with characteristic drift times, MS provides the analytes’ m/z-values for database substance identification. A limitation of the prominently used static headspace-based GC-QMS-IMS systems is the substantially higher sensitivity of IMS in comparison to full scan QMS, which results in the detection of relevant VOC only in IMS, but not in the QMS analyzer. The present study describes a new prototypic trapped-headspace (THS)-GC-QMS-IMS setup, with optimized active flow regulation, able to gain valuable data of both detectors. This ultimately allows the combination of a soft ionization with m/z values obtained from database-searchable electron ionization (EI) spectra and as such, offers a substantial advantage in fields of quality control. The new setup features aligned retention times for IMS and MS and sufficient signal intensities for QMS and IMS. The analytical setup was evaluated with a set of mango puree samples from various provenances and the data was evaluated by suitable machine learning approaches. The results demonstrate that THS-GC-QMS-IMS allows for the classification of mango purees from different cultivars and can be a promising alternative method for authenticity control of food, flavors, and beverages.

Biodiversity loss and nature degradation are pressing issues with huge impacts on our society and economy. Businesses, investors, and regulators focus on corporate efforts to support biodiversity and nature positive actions. This review provides a comprehensive overview about the importance of biodiversity in businesses, the materiality of biodiversity and the role of mandatory and non-mandatory regulations on corporate environmental reporting and sustainability disclosure frameworks. The review also discusses descriptive information on the evolution of sustainability frameworks with a comparison of most prominent sustainability frameworks with a key focus on the materiality approach and biodiversity-related disclosure recommendations. Further, we provide suggestions for more holistic approaches to improve the future sustainability frameworks focusing on the biodiversity impact while showing the necessity of more focus on the decision-making paradigm. Further research on measuring biodiversity impact and innovative trends in sustainability reporting are required to better reflect nature-positive outcomes in corporate sector businesses.

Cartilage degeneration is a characteristic of osteoarthritis (OA) which is often observed in aging populations. This degeneration is due to the breakdown of articular cartilage (AC) mechanical and tribological properties, primarily attributed to lubrication failure. Understanding the reasons behind these failures and identifying potential solutions could have significant economic and societal implications, ultimately enhancing the quality of life. This review provides an overview of developments in the field of AC, focusing on its mechanical and tribological properties. The emphasis is on the role of lubrication in degraded AC, offering insights into its structure and function relationship. Further it explores the fundamental connection between AC mechano-tribological properties and the advancement of its degradation and puts forth recommendations for strategies to boost its lubrication efficiency.

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate compliance and accuracy in comparison with traditional PD diaries for tracking motor symptoms using a new smartphone application (My Parkinson’s) and paper diary strategies. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with progressive motor symptoms. Treatment becomes more challenging as PD progresses, motor complications in the form of wearing-off phenomenon and levodopa-induced dyskinesia develop. Traditional paper diaries and clinical scales used to evaluate patients may be inadequate in assessing whether the patient is “on” or “off,” resulting in less-than-ideal treatment changes. Methods: A randomized crossover design was utilized to examine 22 advanced PD patients who underwent symptomatic assessment with both diaries during two separate 24-hour periods seven days apart. The compliance and accuracy of data were assessed by comparing diary entries with the clinical examination notes and WhatsApp queries. Latterly, patients' diary preferences were also evaluated.; Results: The digital diary had significantly better compliance and accuracy than the paper diaries, with substantial/almost perfect levels of agreement (κ = 0·615 to 0·818) between logged symptoms and clinical examination notes. 65% of patients preferred the digital diary for follow-ups, and there was no significant difference in ease of use compared to paper diaries. Conclusions: Digital diaries are helpful in the clinical management of PD patients as they minimize recall bias and reduce data errors in appropriately selected patients. Our study suggests a broader adoption of digital health technologies in PD management. Still, additional research is necessary to improve the tools and assess long-term patient outcomes.

Several Lung diseases can result in lung damage structural changes, with lung transplantation as a only therapeutic option when the disease reaches an advanced progression, unfortunately, the success of lung transplantation is limited. In this context, lung bioengineering is considered a potential therapeutic alternative and the current approach is based on the use of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) of the decellularized lung. The use of undifferentiated cells to seed an ECM can be a more practical strategy for lung bioengineering but the sterilization of the organ for this recellularization process is still a challenge. In this sense, Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) can emerge as a potential treatment alternative. Therefore, the objective of this study was to verify if LLLT, can optimize lung recelularization with mesenchymal stem cells by cytokine modulation. For this, we decellularized lungs from C57BL/6 mice perfusing SDS 1% via pulmonary artery, sterilized with LLL (660nm, 100mW, 30s). Whole lung scaffolds were recellularized: (1) Recellularized Lung (2) Recellularized Lung + LLLT. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from human tooth pulp (DPSc) were seeded into lungs and incubated for 24 hours at 37ºC, 5% CO₂, in a bioreactor-like conditions, maintaining CPAP at 20cmH2O, 90% O2, and LLL at wavelength of 808nm, 100mW, 30s. Culture medium were analyzed at 24 hours. H&amp;E, immunostaining, SEM and ELISA assay were performed. We produced viable biological scaffolds absent of DNA content, preserving glycosaminoglycans and collagen I, III and IV, fibronectin, laminin and elastin and lung structure (SEM). The levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were stable during the 24 hours of culture. IFN-γ levels showed significant difference in the DPSc and DPSc+LLLT group in the 24-hour evaluation. The levels of IL-10 decreased after LLLT. These findings highlight LLLT's role in cytokine regulation and contamination prevention during lung recellularization with mesenchymal stem cells. Overall, these results demonstrated that LLLT's modulated cytokine levels and could prevent contamination during the lung recellularization process with mesenchymal stem cells, offering promise for enhanced therapeutic strategies in lung bioengineering.

Due to the long duration and high cost of traditional pumping tests, the response of well water level to seismic wave, earth tide, and barometric pressure provides a feasible method for determining continuous changes in aquifer hydraulic parameters. Aiming at the problem that the response phase shift of well BB water level to tidal tide M2 is greater than that of tide O1, this paper preferentially calculated the time series changes of S, Be, n and BKu based on the response mechanism of well water level to barometric pressure and earth tide and with the help of smooth moving method. Then by using the mixed flow model, the variation of transmissivity and leakage coefficient over time were simultaneously obtained, and the evolution process and characteristics of aquifer parameters near well BB caused by the Wenchuan earthquake were ultimately discussed. The calculation results are basically consistent with the previous pumping test, and have been verified and compared by using other scholars' methods. This solving process avoids the problems such as excessive dependence on initial values, multiple solutions, and unstable tide O1, which has a promoting effect on the study of the impact of seismic activity on aquifer systems.

This paper proposes a novel single-stage buck-boost three-Level neutral-point-clamped (NPC) inverter with two independent dc sources coupled for the grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) application, which can effectively solve the unbalanced operational conditions generally appeared between two coupled independent PV sources induced by the unequal irradiation and temperature distribution. The proposed control scheme can simultaneously guarantee the maximum power point (MPP) operation of both PV sources and maintain the output waveform quality. Compared to the traditional two-stage PV inverter, the proposed NPC inverter could reduce the PV array voltage requirement and dc-link capacitors’ voltage rating, meanwhile show the advantage in operational efficiency. MATLAB simulations and the captured experimental results are presented to show the performance of the proposed three-level inverter.

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is a candidate for screening programs, since its prognosis is excellent when diagnosed in an early disease stage. Targeted screening of those at high risk for developing CM, a cost-effective alternative to population-wide screening, requires valid procedures to identify the high-risk group. Self-assessment of the number of nevi has been suggested as a component of such procedures, but its validity has not yet been established. We analyzed the level of agreement between self-assessments and expert assessments of the number of melanocytic nevi in the area between the wrist and the shoulder of both arms based on 4548 study subjects in whom mutually blinded double counting of nevi was performed. Nevus counting followed the IARC protocol. Study subjects received written instructions, photographs, a mirror, and a “nevometer” to support self-assessment of nevi larger than 2 mm. Nevus counts were categorized based on the quintiles of the distribution into five levels defining a nevus score. Cohen’s weighted kappa-coefficient was estimated to measure the level of agreement. In the total sample, agreement between self-assessments and expert-assessments was moderate (raw agreement: 50.29%, weighted κ=0.596). Self-assessed nevus counts were higher than those determined by experts (mean differ-ence: 3.33 nevi). The level of agreement was independent of sociodemographic and cutaneous factors; however, participants’ eye color had a significant impact on the level of agreement. Our findings show that even with comprehensive guidance, only a moderate level of agreement between self-assessed and expert-assessed nevus counts can be achieved. Self-assessed nevus information does not appear to be reliable enough to be used in individual risk assessment to target screening activities.

The article discusses issues related to the optimization of the operation of medium voltage networks, focusing on the optimization of network division points and the selection of the optimal network configuration aimed at reducing power and energy losses. The article provides a critical review of selected scientific works from recent years on the issue of network configuration optimization. The developed solution uses non-deterministic network models and statistical and probabilistic approaches. Optimization studies were carried out using heuristic optimization methods and proprietary algorithms for forecasting the load and power generated from renewable energy sources. The solution proposed in the article has many application possibilities. It can be used to optimize the location of network division points (reducing economic costs related to the modernization of network infrastructure) as well as to optimize the reconfiguration process in order to reduce power losses while maintaining voltage criteria.

The medium-voltage DC (MVDC) technology has gained increasing interests in recent years. Power electronics devices dominate those grids. Accurate simulation of such a grid, with detailed models of switching semiconductors, can quickly became very time-consuming, according to the number of connected devices to be simulated. A simulation approach based on interactions on a continuous time model can be very interesting, especially for developing a system level control model of such a modern MVDC distribution grid. Aim of this paper is to present all the steps required for obtaining a continuous time modelling of a +/- 10 kV MVDC grid case study, including Solid State Transformer (SST) and Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) based Active Front End (AFE). Additional aim of this paper is to supply an educational content about the use of the continuous time simulation approach, thanks to a detailed description of the various devices modelled into the presented MVDC grid. The results of a certain number of simulation scenarios are eventually presented.

Nowadays, unmanned vehicles are widely used in various fields. However, the safety of unmanned vehicles is directly determined by the autopilot systems, and sensor faults are a very critical factor that affects the normal operation of the autopilot systems. To efficiently and comprehensively test unmanned systems for sensor faults, this paper proposes a chip-level testing platform for unmanned vehicle autopilot systems based on FPGA hardware-in-the-loop simulation. Unlike existing testing platforms, the introduction of FPGA technology allows us to achieve nanosecond real-time simulation frequency, thus realizing chip-level simulation of sensors and black-box automated testing. Firstly, we propose a set of general platform and modeling methods, and the paper presents a detailed application of the four most common necessary sensors in autopilot systems as examples. Secondly, we propose for the first time a chip-level fault testing method for unmanned systems, and build a test platform with a quadrotor vehicle, the PX4 software platform, and the Pixhawk4 hardware platform as examples. Finally, the experimental results verify that the testing platform proposed in this paper can adapt to various autopilot systems and has high simulation test reliability.

Sea level rise due to global warming is a continuing and, disappointingly, accelerating process, which has already affected and will further impact coastal lowlands and the social and economic activities in these areas. Delos Island, situated in the middle of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea, was considered the most sacred of all islands in ancient Greek culture and a trading hub for the entire eastern Mediterranean. Uninhabited since the 7th century AD, and consistently the focus of research and touristic attention, the island is designated as an archaeological site and inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List. Previous studies on the relative sea level (rsl) changes suggest a steadily rsl rise during the last 6,300 years, starting from a sea level at -4.80±0.20m in the Late Neolithic. The seafront of the ancient city of Delos is subject to the effects of the rsl rise, which have caused significant coastline retreat and exposure to the northerly winds and waves, whereas parts of the coastal lowland where the remains of the ancient city lie are inundated, forming extended wetlands. The future impacts of rsl rise on the seafront of ancient Delos are illustrated on very high-resolution digital surface models, evaluating both the flooding risk under different climatic projections, as provided by the IPCC AR6 report, and the ongoing land subsidence, as recorded by GNSS data. An rsl rise ranging from 87cm (SSP1-2.6 scenario) to 148cm (SSP5-8.5 scenario) is anticipated by 2150, requiring both resilience strategies and adaptation solutions as well as mitigation policies to cope with the effects of climate change.

Extreme heat is a climate hazard that has been linked with high morbidity and mortality. The way extreme heat events are felt in the population varies depending on a variety of factors, such as age, employment status, living conditions, air-conditioning, housing conditions, habits, behaviors, and other socio-demographic parameters. To quantify and locate vulnerabilities of populations to extreme heat, we analyze socio-economic data at the NUTS3 level for the national case study of Greece and at the census tract level for the local case study of the city of Athens. The target variable for this study is defined as the average daily mortality during heatwaves per 100,000 individuals and a methodology is developed for constructing this variable, based on socio-economic data available in public databases. Independent variables were selected based on their contribution to socioeconomic vulnerability; they include the percentage of elderly, retired, unemployed, renting, living alone, residing in smaller houses, living in older houses, and immigrants from developing countries. An ensemble gradient boosted tree model was employed for this study to obtain feature importance metrics that was used to construct a composite index of socioeconomic heat vulnerability. The socioeconomic heat vulnerability index (SHVI) was calculated for each prefecture in Greece and for each census tract in the city of Athens, Greece. The unique feature of this SHVI is that it can be applied to any geographical resolution using the same methodology and produces a result that is not only quantifiable, but also allows comparison between vulnerability scores of different regions. This application aimed to map the SHVI of both prefecture and city, to examine the significance of scale, to identify vulnerability hotspots, and rank the most vulnerable areas, which are prioritized by authorities for interventions that protect public health.

In the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP), Large Language Models (LLMs) have shown great potential in document-level event extraction tasks, but existing methods face challenges in the design of prompts. To address this issue, we propose an optimization strategy called "Definition-driven Document-level Event Extraction (DDEE)." By adjusting the length of the prompt and enhancing the clarity of heuristics, we have significantly improved the event extraction performance of LLMs. We used data balancing techniques to solve the long-tail effect problem, enhancing the model's generalization ability for event types. At the same time, we refined the prompt to ensure it is both concise and comprehensive, adapting to the sensitivity of LLMs to the style of prompts. In addition, the introduction of structured heuristic methods and strict limiting conditions has improved the precision of event and argument role extraction. These strategies not only solve the prompt engineering problems of LLMs in document-level event extraction but also promote the development of event extraction technology, providing new research perspectives for other tasks in the NLP field.

(1)Background：To date, no studies have epidemiologically examined whether the concentration of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and its ionic components is related to the prevalence of skin symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify this association in patients with allergic diseases. (2)Methods: From February 1 to May 31, 2020, we evaluated the daily prevalence of skin symptoms in outpatients with allergic diseases being treated at Fukuoka Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan, and measured the concentration of PM2.5 and its ionic components. （3）Results: Univariate analysis showed a statistically significant association between skin symptoms and the concentration of PM2.5 and the ionic components SO42-, NH4+, K+, and Mg2+, and multivariate analysis showed a statistically significant association between the daily prevalence of skin symptoms and the concentration of the ionic components SO42- or Mg2+. (4)Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the concentration of some PM2.5 ionic components may affect skin symptoms in patients with allergic diseases.

Analysis of immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on SMEs in Rwanda aims to assess and quantify the economic and financial impacts of the pandemic during the lockdown and presents options adopted by SMEs to reopen their business opera-tions. It also seeks to recommend options for sustainable and resilient economic recovery from the scars of COVID-19. This analysis used data collected from nearly 220 SMEs located across the country and applied an Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) and multivariate linear regression models to measure the pandemic effects. The study revealed that firms downsized employment by 36.4 per cent, but data depict significant deviation within SMEs by their size. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a greater magni-tude of negative effects on sales levels among small businesses. Tax amounts were reduced amidst the crisis however, data do not show any significant variations among SMEs. Additionally, SMEs owners applied various coping mechanisms during re-opening. The study used firm-level data, providing detailed and reliable effects of the shocks on business performance. This analysis recommends establishing the medium-term financing and technical support for SMEs to ensure steady and sustainable recovery from pandemic effects as well as strengthening their resilience to any other socio-economics shocks.

Food insecurity is a multidimensional concept adequately challenging not only the complex operationalization effort but also judgments of who is food secure and who is not. This study aimed to assess the level of household food insecurity in the study area. Both probability and non-probability sampling procedures were employed to draw the 367 respondents, key informants, and focus group discussants. The Consolidated Approach for Reportig Indicators (CARI) console model was constructed with four indicators: Food consumption score, Food energy shortfall, Food expenditure share, and Livelihood asset depletion. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data in the models. The CARI result revealed that 41.1%, 9.3%, 20.4% and 29.2% of households were food secure, marginally food secure, moderately food insecure and severely food insecure, respectively. The overall prevalence showed that 49.6% households were food insecure and 50.4% were food secure. Moreover, female-headed households and households living the Belg and CHV livelihood zones were more food insecure than their counterparts. The study concluded that the problem of food insecurity is pervasive in the study area in general and Belg and CHV livelihood zones, in particular. Therefore, more attention and intervention should be given by policymakers and concerned development partners to alleviate the problem.

Introduction: In the year 2022, 4.9 million children died worldwide before five years of age. United Nations General Assembly has set the target of bringing down under-five child mortality to 25 deaths per 1000 live births by 2030. However, the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation highlights, that without rapid action many low and Lower Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) will not be able to achieve this target and 35 million under-five children will die before 2030. In such a scenario understanding the determinants that bring down preventable deaths in children is important. Design: Anonymized, publicly available data from the India National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) is collected. The sample consisted of 724,115 women in the age group of 15-49 years has been sub-grouped as urban and rural women. Data on the number of Anganwadi centers per state has been collected from the Ministry of Women and Child Development. For better analysis of data, the country is divided into regions. Union territories are grouped in these regions as per their geographical locations. Descriptive statistical analysis, correlation coefficient analysis, and linear regression analysis were done. Results: Results of the Pearson correlation indicated that there is a significantly large positive relationship between operational AWCs (%) and U5MR (r = 0.542, p < .001) whereas there is a significantly large negative relationship between women with Internet access (%) and U5MR, (r = -0.738, p < .001). For our data, the multiple regression equation for y is U5MR (per 1000 live births) = 0.77266. AWCs (%) - 0.58788. women with Internet access (%) + 53.68073. Conclusion: Compared to NFHS-4 (2015-16) U5MR has reduced in almost all states of the country. The study shows more urban women have access to the Internet as compared to rural women. Child mortality is higher in rural areas in every state as compared to urban areas. Urban women have more access to health information because of internet access which may be the reason for lesser child mortality in urban areas compared to rural areas. Internet access for women (individual level) is far more effective in bringing down U5MR if compared to the community-level approach of Daycare centers.

In Indonesia, types of meat are still identified manually due to increasing prices for beef and buf-falo ahead of Idul Fitri. Traders mix beef with pork to thwart the beef scam. Haar wavelet and GLCM, GLCM with angles of 0°, 45°, 90°, and 135°, as well as matrices using contrast, correlation, energy, homogeneity, and entropy, are used in feature extraction. The following are the results of meat image classification testing using k-NN, Haar wavelet, and GLCM: The k-NN algorithm shows superiority in identifying fresh (99%), frozen (99%), and rotten (96%) meat texture images with the most fantastic accuracy results in every situation. Meanwhile, GLCM routinely provides good results, especially regarding the texture image of fresh meat (183.21) and rotten meat (115.79). However, despite delivering less throughput than k-NN and GLCM, Haar wavelets are still helpful, especially when dealing with fresh meat texture images (89,96).

Conditions under which compositions of component systems form a well-defined system-of-systems here are formulated at a fundamental level. Statement of what defines a well-defined composition and sufficient conditions guaranteeing such a result offers insight into exemplars that can be found in special cases such as differential equation and discrete event systems. For any given global state of a composition, two requirements can be stated informally as: 1) the system can leave this state, i.e., there is at least one trajectory defined that starts from the state, and 2) the trajectory evolves over time without getting stuck at a point in time. Considered for every global state, these conditions determine whether the resultant is a well-defined system and if so, whether it is non-deterministic or deterministic. We formulate these questions within the framework of iterative specifications for mathematical system models that are shown to be behaviorally equivalent to the Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) formalism. This formalization supports definitions and proofs of the afore-mentioned conditions. Implications are drawn at the fundamental level of existence where the emergence of a system from an assemblage of components can be characterized. We focus on systems with feedback coupling where existence and uniqueness of solutions is problematic.

Objectives: In this retrospective observational study, it is intended to establish how the implementation of the use of antimicrobial optimization programs at the hospital and ICU level in a Sincelejo Sucre Clinic has significantly impacted the improvement of the rational use of antibiotics1, due to the alarming situation of increasing antibiotic resistance. Materials and methods: The methodology used was to analyze the Excel database of the Clinic, in such a way that it would allow comparing the pre-PROA and post-PROA data of 4 antibiotics, ceftriaxone3, ciprofloxacin4, meropenem5 and vancomycin6, measured in Daily Dose. defined. Results: According to the DDD values obtained for the 4 antibiotics, a reduction in DDD was identified in the post-Proa period. On the other hand, considering the DDD reported by the WHO for each of the antibiotics, significant differences were verified compared to the DDD obtained in the clinic in the hospitalization and ICU services. Conclusions: In conclusion, in the clinic there was evidence of a reduction in DDD in the post-ASP2 period compared to the pre-PROA period, both in hospitalization and in the ICU, as well as a slight to large effect with Cohen's D.

Insulin resistance is a condition characterized by a reduced biological response to insulin. It is one of the most common metabolic diseases of modern civilization. Numerous naturally occurring substances have shown to have a positive effect in restoring the proper sensitivity to insulin. Mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes with artificially induced insulin resistance by palmitic acid (16:0) were used for the study. Cinnamic acid and 1,2-dicinnamoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholin (1,2-diCA-PC) were tested at three concentrations: 25 μM, 50 μM, and 125 μM. The number of mitochondria and the expression of genes encoded by mtDNA were elucidated in control and experimental cells. In experimental cells treated with 1,2-diCA-PC, we displayed increased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in a dose-dependent manner, accompanied by an increase in mtDNA copy number. Moreover, in experimental cells treated with 1,2-diCA-PC at the concentration of 125 μM, we observed a significant increase in the expression level of all analyzed genes encoded by mtDNA compared to control cells. Our study showed a relationship between improved cellular sensitivity to insulin by 1,2-diCA-PC and an increase in the number of mitochondria and expression levels of genes encoded by mtDNA. Summarizing, the results suggest a therapeutic potential of cinnamic acid derivative 1,2-diCA-PC in enhancing the insulin sensitivity of adipocytes.

This paper evaluates the open and closed loop DC-DC converter operation within a DC coupling multilevel inverter architecture to obtain an infinite level stepped sinusoidal voltage. Adding a cascade controller to the DC-DC converter should reduce the settling time and increase the number of levels in the output voltage waveform, it could decrease the speed error and phase shift concerning the sinusoidal reference signal. The proposed methodology consists of implementing an experimental multilevel inverter with DC coupling, through a single-phase bridge inverter energized from a BUCK converter, trigger signals for the two converters are obtained from a control circuit based in an ATMEGA644P microcontroller, and a digital controller is also implemented to evaluate the operation of the BUCK converter in open and closed loop and observe its influence in the stepped sinusoidal output voltage. The evaluation is performed to energize a resistive load with common output voltage in multilevel inverters, that is 3, 5, 7, 11, and infinity levels. Results show that during the design stage, fast dynamic elements, like the storage capacitor, can be used to obtain a minimum THD because the settling time is sufficiently fast and the speed error remains small and there isn’t a need for a controller. A digital controller requires processing time and although in theory, it can reduce the settling time to a minimum, the processor introduces latency in the control signals generation, producing the opposite effect. Controller complexity of the digital controller must be considered because it increases processing time and influences the efficiency of the closed-loop operation.

Lower cutoff levels in screening programs have led to an increase in the proportion of detected cases with transient hypothyroidism, leading to increase of the overall incidence of primary congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in several countries. We have performed retrospective evaluation on the data from 251,008 (96.72%) neonates screened for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level in dried blood spot specimens taken 48 hours after birth, between 2002 and 2015, using DELFIA method. A TSH value of 15 mIU/L was used as the cutoff point until 2010 and 10 mIU/L thereafter. Primary CH was detected in 127 newborns (1/1976) of which 81.1% had permanent and 18.9% had transient CH. The incidence of primary CH was increased from 1/2489 until to 2010 to 1/1585 thereafter (p=0.131). However, the incidence of permanent CH was slightly increased (p=0.922), while the transient CH incidence had 8-fold increasing after lowering the TSH cutoff level (p<0.001). In cases with permanent CH, we observed lower frequency for thyroid dysgenesis (82.7 vs. 66.7%) and higher frequency for normal in-situ thyroid gland (17.3 vs. 33.3%), for the period with reduced TSH cutoff value. Our findings support the impact of lower TSH cutoff on the increasing incidence of congenital hypothyroidism.

In children, the global burden of vaccines-preventable diseases (VPDs) and deaths can be averted by adopting timely immunization practices. Administering immunization to a child within 28 or 30 days of the designated immunization date is referred to as timely immunization. Delaying or missing vaccinations puts children, especially those in urban slums, at a higher risk of getting sick or dying from different diseases. This study was designed to examine the immunization practices and to measure the determinants of immunization non-compliance in children living in urban slums of Karachi, Pakistan. A community-based retrospective cohort was carried out from October-2018- to August-2019 in six different urban slums of Karachi. Immunization status of children aged less than 2 years was assessed by reviewing their vaccination card. Children from each slum were approached via 30x7 multistage stratified cluster sampling technique. Data of each child was analysed descriptively and inferentially using a statistical software, i.e., Jamovi version 1.2.25. The practice of timely immunization was observed in approximately half of children, i.e., 49.8%(n=457). The immunization rate at birth (first-visit) was 100%, of which 95.7% were timely immunized. Following the second immunization visit, a sharp decline in the immunization rate, including timely immunization rate was observed. Lack of knowledge, childhood illnesses, lack of interest, and vaccines unavailability were the main reasons of immunization non-compliance. However, an increase in paternal education was significantly associated to decrease the odds of immunization non-compliance. A decrease in the practice of timely immunization is replaced by either invalid and/or delayed and/or missed immunization practices. Thus, timely immunization is crucial for preventing the infectious diseases and promoting the health of a child.

Following the 2001 end to negotiations on a legally binding protocol, Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) states parties (SPs) developed entrenched positions about the necessity of a verification regime, hindering progress on treaty aims. This study aimed to facilitate dialogue on verification-related issues outside the context of those positions, using the term "assurance" to represent the degree of certainty that SPs are meeting their treaty obligations. From August 2020-July 2021, 36 interviews were conducted—16 SPs' delegations and 20 subject matter experts, representing 20 countries—and interview content was analyzed utilizing a mixed methods approach, including quantitative metrics on qualitative interview content. Interviewees' views on verification, compliance, and related concepts varied widely. Efforts by SPs to achieve common understanding on these topics could facilitate concrete progress in these important areas. While no single mechanism is sufficient to achieve verification or assess compliance, packages of mechanisms could increase assurance. There was general support for implementing assurance mechanisms, even in the absence of a comprehensive, legally binding protocol or verification regime, even among SPs for which that is the primary goal. Avenues to increase assurance among BWC stakeholders merit further discussion in the Intersessional Programme following the 9^th BWC Review Conference.

Approximately 20% of the world's population resides in coastal areas at risk of rising sea levels due to climate change. This could lead to severe weather events and ecological impact on critical infrastructure. To combat the effects of water-based environmental forces on the land, hard engineering methods such as seawalls have been utilized. However, a more sustainable solution is emerging in nature-based engineering, which involves growing vegetation. This approach can help extend the lifespan of existing technology and provide climate change adaptation and resilience for coastal and riverine communities. The following paper will review seaweed farms as an advanced nature-based mitigation approach. The paper also outlines the findings of experiments at RWTH Aachen University's hydraulic laboratory. These tests involved using seaweed as a natural solution to dampen waves in a model system to test a hypothesis. One result involving a system with two lines of seaweed revealed 15 percent wave damping. Using seaweed as a nature-based solution, a gentle engineering approach to designing future vegetated protection systems can extend the design life of existing coastal infrastructure. This can also provide protection against climate-induced sea level rise, promote coastal risk mitigation, restore ecosystems, and foster blue bio-economic development.

This paper investigates the impact of price and real exchange rate volatility on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in a panel of 10 Latin American and Caribbean countries, observed between 1990 and 2012. Both price and exchange rate volatility series are estimated through the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity model (GARCH). Our results, obtained employing the Fixed Effects estimator, confirm the theory of hysteresis and option value, in so far it is found a statistically significant negative effect of exchange rate volatility on FDI. Price volatility, instead, turns out to be positive but insignificant. Moreover, we show that human capital and trade openness are key for attracting foreign capital. From the policy perspective, our analysis suggests the importance of stabilization policies as well as the one of government credibility in promoting trade openness and human capital formation.

This study aimed to describe and distinguish shot characteristics between set winning and losing pairs in high-level male padel players from Finland. Between 2022 and 2023, we analyzed 4,469 points across 38 matches, examining factors such as match type, set outcome, effectiveness of the last shot, generator of forced error, and shot type. Results showed that set-winning players produced more winners (CSR = 7.7; CSR = 6.8) and committed fewer forced (CSR = 4.2; CSR = 2.8) and unforced errors (CSR = 4.0; CSR = 4.3) compared to set losing players, both in pressure training and competition matches. In addition, irrespective of the set outcome, these players achieved more winners and generated more forced errors with the smash, bandeja, forehand volley, and backhand volley. Nevertheless, a significant number of errors (both forced and unforced) are committed with the bandeja and volley (forehand and backhand). Furthermore, notable errors (forced and unforced) are observed in shots following one bounce and without a wall rebound, particularly in the forehand, backhand, and return. In conclusion, the ability to produce winners while minimizing forced and unforced errors proves to be crucial for securing sets in high-level men’s padel.

Many lifestyle and occupational habits negatively impact on physical and mental health, increasing the risk of cardiovascular and other diseases. While larger institutions fulfill occupational health requirements to ensure their employees’ wellbeing at work, smaller business workers and entrepreneurs may neglect initial signs of stress or physical decline, putting themselves at increased risk. Early detection of compromised cardiopulmonary health or fitness has the potential to flag up indications for early interventions and reduce the risk of disease onset and progression. This case study highlights the usefulness of respiratory muscle training (RMT) in improving pulmonary and cardiovascular parameters as an early countermeasure to cardiopulmonary decline. We suggest RMT as an easily accessible, cost- and time effective opportunity to support a healthy lifestyle.

Background: Trichomoniasis is the most common non-viral STI globally and yet is not a reportable disease. Trichomonas Vaginalis is an important source of reproductive morbidity and may increase risk of acquisition and transmission of HIV. WHO and CDC recommend various regimens of Nitro-Imidazoles for treatment. The common Nitro-Imidazoles used for Trichomoniasis are Metronidazole and Tinidazole, which vary in their cost, efficacy and side effect profile and it is relevant to study these factors, for better management of the patients. Objectives: This study aims to compare and study the efficacy, compliance of various treatment regimens, their outcomes and side-effects for Trichomoniasis, among STI clinic attendees in Trinidad. Methods: A clinical trial study was designed and after obtaining the informed consent a routine clinical examination was conducted and the swabs for Trichomoniasis tests were collected for diagnosis from the 692 participants. Out of 692 participants, Eighty two (82) patients with established diagnosis of Trichomonas infection were quasi-randomly treated using different regimens. Compliance to treatment, side effects and outcome were evaluated. Results: The prevalence of the Trichomoniasis in population attending our STI clinic is 11.9% and prevalence of HIV is 9%. Of the total 82 participants for the treatment, 80% were females; nearly 90% of the patients belonged to age group 15-45 years and over 60% were below 30 yrs. Among those diagnosed for Trichomonas vaginalis, 13.3% had associated HIV infection. The compliance with respect to single dose treatment was significantly better than the long duration oral regimen and has significant relation with side effects of the treatment. The outcome is generally better and comparable and shows no significant difference between different treatment regimens used in the study. Conclusions: Metronidazole and Tinidazole are commonly used drugs in various regimens. compliance is better with those treated with Tinidazole and Metronidazole stat, than with other groups. Outcome is comparable between these regimens, especially when combined with other important factors like abstinence and treatment of the partners. The treatment regimens mainly differ in the compliance and side effects profile, which suggests that to improve the compliance the drugs with less side effects, short course regimen would be a preferred choice.

The Covid-19 pandemic was a challenge for the whole world and it had major secondary effects on humans and environmental health. The viral infection induced, in many situations, secondary bacterial infections, especially enteric infections by destabilizing the balance of the gastrointestinal microbiota. The large-scale use of antibiotics and biocides both for curative and preventive purposes has determined an increase in bacterial resistance and at the same time the possibility of pathogenic microorganisms’ multiplication and their dissemination to natural environments. Wastewater is the main vector of faecal microorganisms that favour their dissemination into natural aquatic ecosystems. The present paper aimed to analyze the effect of Covid-19 pandemic on the microbiological quality of wastewater from sewage treatment plants in Romania and its impact on receiving rivers. In order to highlight different and important areas of Romania, 3 cities from the east, center and west were selected for a microbiological evaluation of their WWTPs influent and effluent between ante-Covid-19 and Covid-19 pandemic peak period, when the Covid-19 pandemic had a direct impact on WWTPs microbial composition. Our study showed a higher contamination with fecal bacteria linked to a higher Covid-19 incidence. The increased usage of pharmaceutical compounds, at their turn, increased the number of resistant bacteria reaching the environment via WWTP effluents.

Introduction: Anemia and undernutrition are severe public health concerns in Ethiopia. These are the two most common nutritional disorders in pregnant women and frequently co-exist. However, to the best of our knowledge, the evidence is lacking on the co-existence of anemia and undernutrition among pregnant women. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the prevalence of co-existing anemia and undernutrition (CAU) and associated factors among pregnant women. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June 1–25, 2024, on a sample of 515 pregnant women in the Hawela Lida district of Sidama region, Ethiopia. We utilized a multi-stage sampling method to choose eligible study participants. A pre-tested and structured questionnaire was used to collect data via the online Open Data Kit mobile tool. We controlled the effect of confounders and clustering by using a multi-level mixed-effect modified Poisson regression analysis model. Result: The prevalence of CAU among pregnant women was 25.4% (95% CI: 21.9–28.9). The prevalence of CAU was associated with household food insecurity (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR]: 2.17; 95% CI: 1.43–3.28), training on model family (APR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.45-0.96), inadequate dietary diversity (APR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.18–1.95), and having poor knowledge of nutrition (APR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.06-2.26) at individual levels. Low community-level women’s autonomy (APR: 6.19; 95% CI: 3.42-11.22) and community-level road accessibility (APR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.43-0.98) were the identified determinants of CAU at the community level. Conclusion: One in four pregnant women was CAU in the study area. Household food insecurity, receiving model family training, inadequate dietary diversity, having poor knowledge of nutrition, low community-level women’s autonomy, and community-level road accessibility were the significant determinants of CAU. Therefore, inter-sectorial collaboration should be required to comprehensively address the determinants of CAU at different levels. Besides, any CAU prevention and intervention programs should provide model family training specifically targeting women who have poor nutritional knowledge and a low level of autonomy in health care decision-making.

Background: Morphological alterations in intracranial pressure pulse waveform (ICPPW) secondary to intracranial hypertension (ICP >20 mmHg) and reduction in intracranial compliance (ICC) are well known indicators of neurological severity. To date, no studies have documented the ICPPW modifications after intracranial hypertension resolution with decompressive craniectomy (DC). The present study aimed to assess the morphological alterations in ICPPW among neurocritical care patients with and without DC, by comparing the variations of ICPPW features according to elevations in mean ICP values. Methods: Patients requiring ICP monitoring because of severe traumatic or spontaneous conditions were included. Mean ICP values were compared with ICPPW features (P2/P1 ratio, TTP and pulse amplitude). Elevation in ICP was produced by means of ultrasound-guided manual internal jugular veins compression. Results were distributed for three groups: intact skull (exclusive burr hole for ICP monitoring), craniotomy/large fractures (group 2) or DC (group 3). Results: 57 patients were analyzed. 21 (36%) presented no skull defects, whereas 15 (26%) had DC. ICP was not significantly different between groups: ±13.59 for intact and ±17.66 mmHg for DC, with ICP induced elevation also similar between groups (p= 0.56). Significant elevation was observed for P2/P1 ratio for groups 1 and 2, whereas reduction was observed in group 3 (elevation of ±0.09 for groups 1 and 2, whereas reduction of 0.03 for group 3, p=0.01). Conclusion: In the present study, intracranial pressure pulse waveform analysis indicated that intracranial compliance was significantly more impaired among decompressive craniectomy patients, although ICPPW indicated DC to be protective for further influences of ICP elevations over the brain. Analysis of ICPPW seems to be an alternative to real time ICC assessment.

“Dark Web” usually describes a new world of e-living space perceived as a place, free from con-straints, in which its main actors generally are criminal, unstable, and mentally disturbed individ-uals. Nowadays, advancements in information and internet technologies have made the Dark Web more accessible in recent decades. The Dark Web is a virtual world component; therefore, as-sessing users’ behavior may be crucial in understanding motivation to use it. This study aims to discuss the behavior patterns of Dark Web users within the theoretical framework of the technol-ogy acceptance model via a structural equation model. The resulting structural equation model showed that considered causal relationships were statistically significant.

Intracranial compliance (ICC) plays a pivotal role in understanding the underlying mechanisms of various brain disorders and is of great clinical importance. Therefore, addressing the challenges in practical application of ICC is crucial for neurosurgeons. This study explored the significance of ICC assessment considering the time-dependency of specific brain disorders through two distinct approaches: short and large time elapsed (TE) in measuring volume or intracranial pressure (ICP) changes in the ICC equation (∆Volume/∆ICP). Variations in ICC values were observed across various ICC assessment methods and different TE values. Notably, the compensatory response of the brain exhibited non-monotonic and variable changes in a large TE for certain brain disorders, diverging from patterns observed in short TE assessments. Furthermore, the recovery behavior of the brain changed under different brain disorders when exposed to short and long TE conditions. These findings emphasized the dynamic nature of ICC and provided valuable insights into the correct practical assessment of ICC by selecting the appropriate TE, as well as considering the differences in strain rates and loading durations on the brain in different brain disorders. These insights also shed light on the reasons why, despite its clinical significance, ICC monitoring has not yet become a standard component of clinical care, unlike ICP monitoring.

The first attempt to control and mitigate an epidemic outbreak caused by a previously unknown virus occurs primarily via non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). In case of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which since the early days of 2020 caused the COVID-19 pandemic, NPIs aimed at reducing transmission enabling contacts between individuals. The effectiveness of contact reduction measures directly correlates with the number of individuals adhering to such measures. Here, we illustrate by means of a very simple compartmental model how partial noncompliance with NPIs can prevent these from stopping the spread of an epidemic.

Smallholder farmers in Ethiopia face increasing challenges from climate change and variability, which threaten their food security and livelihoods. This study examines how adopting single and combined climate change adaptation practices affects their vulnerability to food insecurity in Bench Maji Zone, southwest Ethiopia. Through multistage sampling, data was gathered from 390 rural households in four climate-prone districts. The study examines the impacts resulting from both individual and combined implementations of adaptation techniques. These techniques encompass crop management practices, soil and water conservation measures, and livelihood portfolio diversification strategies. The study employed the multinomial endogenous treatment effect regression model to address selection bias and endogeneity resulting from various sources of heterogeneity, whether observed or unobserved. The results show that farmers who adopted adaptation practices were less vulnerable to food insecurity than those who did not. The study also finds that adopting multiple practices has a more significant impact than adopting single practices. Our findings suggest that implementing climate change adaptation strategies can increase the resilience of smallholder farmers in the study area and decrease their vulnerability to food insecurity. The study recommends supporting farmers in adopting these strategies through research and development, information dissemination, and collaborations among farmers, researchers, and extension services.

Technology is in the way to reach in its climax but the basic understanding of science in many phenomena is still awaited even though the nature witnesses it. Scientific research reveals strong analogy between photon and electron. When an atom deals neutral state, it levitates electron of outer ring from the back surface while placing the bit-energy at front surface. Gravitation behavior of that electron starts at the centre of relaxation point by including the force of side pole where the pulling force of nearby unfilled state of that atom from the front surface results into depict forcing energy shape like Gaussian distribution symbol with both ends turned called unit photon. The inertia is being involved at each stage of changing direction of that electron by introducing the disappearances of forces of two poles against the appearances of forces of two opposite poles during rest to motion and motion to rest in the first half-cycle. The same is the case in the second half-cycle of that electron during rest to motion and motion to rest but it is under different introduction of the disappearances of forces against appearances of forces. However, at stage of levitating or gravitating period of electron, only one force is being involved at one time where the opposite force is disappeared. The uninterrupted confined inter-state electron-dynamics of atom under the availability of several bits of bit-energy results into generate forcing energy shape like a wave. Two bits of bit-energy where shape of bit for first half-cycle is like integral symbol and second half-cycle is like opposite integral symbol which are being placed along the configuring trajectory of inter-state electron-dynamics during forward-direction cycle and two bits of bit-energy shape in opposite order are being placed along the trajectory of inter-state electron-dynamics during back-direction cycle. Generating forcing energy of unit photon in each cycle is pushing to the rear side by remaining connected till the electron is not restoring the state of rest. Silicon atom is considered as a model system under neutral state. Uninterrupted confined inter-state electron-dynamics result into generate forcing energy that can travel immeasurable length and unavailability of necessitating bit-energy at any interrupted stage result into generate an overt photon. Inter-state electron-dynamics for at least two cycles generate an overt photon –a photon length twice to unit photon. Under certain interaction of unit photon, it divides equally into two bits of bit-energy instead of dividing into tits and bits of heat. The mechanism of generating photon characteristic current by the electron of neutral state atom validates that atoms are four-dimensional discs at centre of dealing no force. An isolated electron is being grounded under directed forcing energy to impinge a neutral state atom where the gained instantaneous velocity under merged energy resulting into distort atom at that point. Matter changes the role of energy and force under various sorts of interactions. Here, heat energy and photon energy explore matter at atomic and electron levels, thus, devise basis of science to describe.

Synthetic materials such as Carbon, Kevlar, and Glass fibers are extensively utilized in various industries due to their superior characteristics including high stiffness, great strength, low den-sity, and high wear resistance, these advantages contributed to making them widespread in ap-plications like; aerospace, automobile, civil and electronics. This research is carried out to enhance the creep compliance of epoxy composite material by considering two types of fibers as reinforcement. A composite material is produced by combining two fibers, Kevlar fiber mixed with sika epoxy resin, along with Carbon fiber also mixed with sika epoxy resin using a Hand-Layup process. Experiments and numerical modeling are examined to offer a comprehensive understanding creep behavior of epoxy composite material in different weight ratios. Burger and Prony models are used to represent stress relaxation and creep strain of Visco-elastic material. According to the results, sika epoxy resin reinforced with Kevlar and Carbon fibers exhibits enhancement in the mechanical properties compared with pure epoxy. The use of Kev-lar/Sika epoxy composite results in higher creep compliance and modulus of elasticity compared with Carbon/Sika epoxy composite.

Introduction: In Ethiopia, maternal undernutrition is a major public health concern. However, comprehensive evidence is lacking in the southern part of Ethiopia, specifically the household and community-level related determinants of undernutrition. Besides, the evidence about the prevalence and determinants of undernutrition is not yet documented in the current study setting. Thus, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of undernutrition and identify its determinants among pregnant women in Hawela Lida district of the Sidama region, Ethiopia.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 515 pregnant women from June 1–25, 2024. A multi-stage sampling method was utilized to select eligible pregnant women. We collected data using the Open Data Kit smart phone device and exported it to Stata version 17 for further processing and analysis. A multi-level mixed-effects modified Poisson regression analysis with robust variance was used to account for between and with cluster effects.Result: The prevalence of undernutrition among pregnant women was 41.7% (95% CI: 37.3–45.6). The prevalence of undernutrition was associated with planned pregnancy (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR]: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.66-0.98), household food insecurity (APR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.26-2.13), inadequate dietary diversity (APR: 1.79; 95% CI: 1.43-2.25), and women’s poor knowledge of nutrition (APR: 1.68; 95% CI: 1.32-2.12) at individual levels. The identified determinants of undernutrition at the community level were low community literacy rates (APR: 4.62; 95% CI: 1.13–18.79) and low community wealth status (APR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.10–3.31).Conclusion: Two in five pregnant women had an undernutrition problem in the study setting. Individual and community-level determinants contributed to the high prevalence of undernutrition. Thus, any prevention and control approaches to undernutrition should consider inter-sectorial collaboration to account for determinants at various levels. Besides, any program must emphasize the delivery of nutrition education about dietary diversity, particularly targeting pregnant mothers who have poor knowledge of nutrition and unplanned pregnancy at the individual level. Moreover, creating a small business reform for the community with low wealth status using agricultural extension workers must be considered.

Thermal plasma is a versatile technology that can be used to treat various types of wastes, including vegetal and mineral oils, solvents, plastics, papers and cardboard, glasses, bricks and rocks, metals, clothes, and mixtures of these materials. In this study, we utilized a commercial plasma cutter as a thermal plasma source to decrease the volume of a simulated low-level radioactive mixed solid waste. The simulated waste included papers, plastics, clothes, gloves, metals and stable Co, Cs, Sr, and Ce additives as surrogates of 60Co, 137Cs, 90Sr, and 144Ce, the latter typical contaminants in nuclear LLW. As a result of the process two products were obtained, a solid phase in which we focused this work and a gaseous phase. To retain as much as possible surrogates in the solid final phase, crushed glass from broken bottles was included as a vitrification additive to the original waste. After undergoing heat treatment, a dense vitreous slag was produced and ashes. The process resulted in a volume reduction of 70%, indicating the successful gasification of organic excess materials. The surrogate elements were retained in the process and were found in the ashes composition: Co (3.4% w/w), Cs (37.7% w/w), Ce (0.6% w/w) and in the glass matrix composition of Co, Cs, Sr and Ce: 72.4 ± 14.7, 32 ± 18.2, 125.3 ± 31.6, 80 ± 13.1 % w/w respectively. For the actual experimental conditions, retention efficiencies were estimated for Cobalt (Co) at 72.4 ± 14.7%, Cerium (Ce) at 80 ± 13.1%, Strontium (Sr) at 125.3 ± 31.6%, and notably Cesium (Cs) at 32 ± 18.2%.

This study explores religious diversity in Romania and how the trends of indices of religious fractionalization and polarization manifest at the county level in the post-communist period. The county is selected as the relevant level for analysis due to its spatial confessional dynamics being more clearly visible. Recent studies have revealed that erosion of diversity represents an important aspect for any country and needs to be considered as an important aspect of democracy. This paper highlights that religious polarization and fractionalization in Romania has been generally maintained, although the regions of Transylvania, Banat, Dobrogea and Western Moldova remain areas where there are different confessions. Besides the general aspect of religion diversity depending the ethnic trends, there is a rise of Pentecostals and Baptists at the county level. This aspect can inform policymakers to create new institutions for dialogue between majority Orthodox communities and Protestants so that potential conflicts do not appear between the Orthodox and emerging religious communities, but also to ensure objective, cultural, religious coherence.

This article explores the synergies and progression of feminism towards a comprehensive, emancipatory and sustainable policy from a theoretical point of view, particularly from a radical gender focus, suggesting the masculinist theory as a complement in the fight against the patriarchal-capitalist system, whose greatest achievement was to use a ‘feminist rhetoric’ with no feminist content, which implies a hidden reconfiguration, even more patriarchal, of the geographical borders of countries from the notion of State-nations to the entrepreneurial-nations. A theoretical model is proposed to analyse the adoption and compliance feminist behaviour in order to identify the uncompliant and unsustainable behaviour, that is, the friendly machismo or feminism light. Finally, in a preliminary manner, the foundations of a new masculinist theory and policy will be listed as a necessary step towards a deeply feminist and radical emancipatory policy.

It is shown that the Lambda component in the cosmological Lambda-CDM model can be conceived as vacuum energy, consisting of gravitational particles subject to Heisenberg’s energy-time uncertainty. These particles can be modelled as elementary polarisable Dirac-type dipoles (“darks”) in a fluidal space at thermodynamic equilibrium, with spins that are subject to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. Around the baryonic kernels, uniformly distributed in the universe, the spins are polarized, thereby invoking an increase of the effective gravitational strength of the kernels. It explains the dark matter effect of galaxies to the extent that a numerical value of Milgrom’s acceleration constant can be assigned by theory. Non-polarized vacuum particles beyond the baryonic kernels compose the dark energy at the cosmological level. The result is an interpretation of gravity at the quantum level in terms of quantitatively established shares in baryonic matter, dark matter and dark energy, which correspond with the values of the Lambda-CDM model.

Purpose: to assess any differences on marginal bone loss between bone-level or tissue-level dental implants through a review of literature until September 2019. Materials and methods: MEDLINE, Embase and other database were searched by two independent authors. The search was limited to articles in English. Results: The search provided 1028 records and, after removing the duplicates through titles and abstracts screening, 45 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. For qualitative analysis 20 articles were included, 17 articles of them for quantitative analysis. A total of 1161 patients (mean age 54,4 years) and 2933 implants were observed, 1427 (Tissue-level) and 1506 (Bone-level). The survival rate and the success rate were more than 90%, except for 2 studies with a success rate of 88% and 86.2%. No studies reported any differences between groups in term of success and survival rates. Three studies showed that BL-implants had statistically less marginal bone loss (P< 0.05). Only one study reported statistically less marginal bone loss in TL-implants (P< 0.05). In the most part of the studies, differences between implant types in marginal bone loss were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Despite to the peri-implant tissue around transmucosal implants has been reported to be inflammation-free because of the absence of bacterial infiltration in the micro-gap between the fixture and abutment, no clinical and radiological differences were highlighted between groups from the included studies after a variable period of follow-up ranged between 1 to 5 years.

This research investigates the application of deep learning in sentiment analysis of Canadian maritime case law. It offers a framework for improving maritime law and legal analytics policy-making procedures. The automation of legal document extraction takes center stage, underscoring the vital role sentiment analysis plays at the document level. Therefore, this study introduces a novel strategy for sentiment analysis in Canadian maritime case law, combining sentiment case law approaches with state-of-the-art deep learning techniques. The overarching goal is to systematically unearth hidden biases within case law and investigate their impact on legal outcomes. Employing Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) based models, this research achieves a remarkable accuracy of 98.05% for categorizing instances. In contrast, Conventional Machine Learning techniques such as Support Vector Machines (SVM) yield an accuracy rate of 52.57%, Naive Bayes at 57.44 %, and Logistic Regression at 61.86%. The superior accuracy of the CNN and STM model combination underscores its usefulness in legal sentiment analysis, offering promising future applications in diverse fields like legal analytics and policy design. These findings mark a significant choice for AI-powered legal tools, presenting more sophisticated and sentiment-aware options for the legal profession.

Multicompartment compliance aids (MCAs) are devices with each discrete section denoting a single dosing occasion. The purpose of an MCA is to maximize patient adherence and thereby optimize the treatment benefits. These devices are widely employed throughout western Europe and UK and use appears to be rapidly increasing (2) although the RPS as moved away from these devices as a means to improve adherence. We analysed MCAs from various pharmacies over a wide geographic area in England and North Wales. We concluded that most MCA users are elderly patients. Also, most of the patients suffer of combined cardiovascular disease. However, a significant proportion of patients falls in the mental/ neurological disease category. Additionally, most of the externals added to MCAs are inhalers and painkillers. Moreover, SDIs are more frequent in female patients and these SDI are mainly related with mental health medication, cardiovascular disease medication and neurological medication. In conclusion, a directive for dispensing of MCAs in pharmacies by pharmacists through an enhanced service should be elaborated having in consideration PIMs, SDIs, drug stability and use of externals and MCA design and brand.

Fighting corruption and enhancing tax compliance through digital public services represent key factors for increasing sustainable development in Romania. We argue that fighting corruption may increase the level of sustainable development, through digital pubic services. Using digital public services leads to the increase of the level of tax compliance, because entrepreneurs will feel more confident and responsible and they will decide to better comply. Tax regulations can affect the level of tax compliance through the additional costs they generate. The discussion is based on the consideration of the costs generated by compliant behavior and we explain how such costs influence the entrepreneurs’ decision in the fiscal environment. If the costs are higher, entrepreneurs will take evasive initiatives and will refuse to comply. Among the numerous tools developed to fight corruption, the use of communication technologies has recently been researched and there is still need for further research in the Romanian economic environment. The use of digital public services reduces costs for entrepreneurs and increases their confidence in state institutions due to higher levels of transparency. We argue for increasing sustainable development in Romania through digital public services, thus fighting corruption and enhancing tax compliance.

The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a serious threat to public health systems globally and is subsequently, a cause of anxiety and panic within human society. Understanding the mechanisms and reducing the chances of having severe symptoms from COVID-19 will play an essential role in treating the disease, and become an urgent task to calm the panic. However, the COVID-19 test developed to identify virus carriers is unable to predict symptom development in individuals upon infection. Experiences from other plagues in human history and COVID-19 statistics suggest that genetic factors may determine the compliance with the virus, i.e., severe, mild, and asymptomatic. Here, a hypothesis is put forward based on the epidemiological characteristics and traits of COVID-19, and our gene expression analysis. It proposes that COVID-19 inactivation in the blood by blocking virus entry into other internal organs for reproduction through the blood circulation after lung cell invasion prevents severe symptoms. Additionally, we investigated a genetic connection between candidate genes and severe COVID-19 symptoms through the utilization of strategies combining hypothesis and data-driven approaches. A list of genes and important SNPs that require further investigation to aid the screening of individuals who may suffer severe illness if exposed to the virus is present. Those individuals should be intensively safeguarded and prioritised for treatment. Concurrently to further research on the COVID-19 pathogenesis, our results also offer a new research strategy for pandemic prevention and health maintenance.

Background: Recent reports on the national temporal trends of sepsis-related mortality in the United States (US) suggested outcome improvement in several race and ethnicity groups. However, it is unknown whether national data reflect state-level trajectories. Methods: We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research Multiple Cause of Death dataset to identify all decedents with sepsis in the US during 2010-2019. Negative binomial regression models were fit to estimate national and state-level trends of age-adjusted sepsis-related mortality rates within race and ethnicity groups. Results: There were 1,852,610 sepsis-related deaths in the US during 2010-2019. Nationally, sepsis-related mortality rates decreased among Blacks and Asians, were unchanged among Hispanics and Native Americans, and rose among Whites. The percent of states with similar trends were 30.0% among Blacks, 32.1% among Asians, 74.3% among Hispanics, 75.0% among Native Americans, and 66.7%% among Whites, while trending in opposite direction from 3.6% among Asians to 15.0% among Blacks. Conclusions: National trends in sepsis-related mortality in the US did not represent state-level trajectories in race and ethnicity groups. Gains in sepsis outcomes among race and ethnicity groups at the national level were not shared equitably at the state level.

A study is made of the progressive ‘decoherence’ of cosmic ray extensive air shower particle detector signals in small air showers through measurements of coincidence rates for pairs of detectors versus the detector separation. Measurements are made both when only the two separated detectors themselves trigger in coincidence, and when that coincidence trigger also requires the detection of a local air shower by a small external air shower array. The addition of the explicit air shower trigger ensures that the latter data correspond to showers of a larger particle size, and triggering by very localised shower cores is then unlikely. When including a shower trigger, the decoherence results appear substantially different in form. The coincidence rate between two detectors only can be approximated by a power law variation with separation distance. When triggering involves an air shower array, the variation becomes close to an exponential form with characteristic exponent distances varying systematically with increasing detector and air shower size thresholds. A result is that one can see that small air showers will exhibit clear non-Poissonian density fluctuations near their cores out to distances of ~5m, or at shower energies below ~0.05 PeV. These ideas can be helpful in understanding the statistical properties of signals when using large detectors in air shower arrays.

Background: Hospital accreditation has become ubiquitous in developing countries. Although studies recognize that accreditation can improve healthcare quality, efficiency, and safety, there are doubts about how hospitals deal with conflicts caused by the different institutional logics that inhabit this process. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how professional and market logics, as well as the conflict between institutional demands, affect compliance with hospital accreditation. Methods: To this end, we developed a multiple case study in four Brazilian hospitals through in-depth interviews with sixteen participants (managers, physicians, nurses, physiotherapist) and on-site observation by the triangulation between the analysis of the narratives and the results of the multiple correspondence analysis. The interpretation and subsequent categorization of the interviews were guided by the study's analytical categories: institutional logics (professional and market); adoption objectives (legitimacy and efficiency); strategic responses to adoption (conformity, non-conformity, and customization); nature of demands (origin in the means and in goal). Results. The data showed that when professional logic is prominent, there is a greater tendency to customize activities, as there are conflicts in the means by which activities can be developed. When market logic stands out, there is a risk of non-conformity, mainly because the focus falls exclusively on goals. Finally, the data point to the absence of conflicts between justifications related to efficiency and legitimacy. Conclusion. We conclude the study by highlighting the theoretical and practical implications of recognizing the conflict between logics, contributing to a deeper understanding of how logic influences the attention given to specific demands and, more significantly, how they affect compliance with hospital accreditation standards, expanding the body of knowledge in the area.

This paper analyses the EU’s policies for energy and climate, using Börzel's (2002) theoretical framework on Europeanisation, and examines member states’ Green Deal responses, strategies, and compliance. As expressed in their final NECPs, although member states’ responses vary, most of the critical components were partially addressed, while the others were largely addressed. We observe a considerable variation in Member State’s strategies. Member States classified as foot-dragging beforehand are fence-sitting now, while those previously categorised as fence-sitting are now either foot-dragging or pace-setting. The root cause of these classification changes for the member states within the EU can be traced back to their internal environments in which the involved stakeholders each have a different response pace regarding environment, climate, and energy. We present and analyse our theoretical context, discuss the EU’s energy policies and the NECPs, examine member states’ responses and compliance with this new framework, and propose several challenges.

Upon the outbreak of the COVID-19, countries worldwide developed policies with the goal to introduce restrictive measures geared towards mitigating the spread of the virus. Although these health initiatives were put in place through top-down public directives, they relied heavily on the cooperation of citizens who had to be willing to carry them out. As a consequence, we could observe differences in compliance with governmental restrictions within and between countries. Increasing policy stringency was the method adopted overall to promote people’s compliance. This article used survey data from 10308 participants in Brazil to examine whether there was a positive correlation between policy stringency and compliance with restrictive measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The results revealed, however, that there was no direct influence of policy stringency on people’s health behaviors. Accordingly, I hypothesized that individual differences in personality traits were one of the drivers behind policy compliance, as they would support self-interests such as the duty to support authorities as well as the perceived health risks of certain behaviors and ultimately motivate compliance. The findings’ implications for both compliance research and for authorities wanting to nurture voluntary compliance with public health orders are discussed and suggestions are provided.

A case of low level windshear at Beijing Daxing International Airport is studied in the present pa-per. It is related to the synoptic scale/mesoscale changes of the airflow pattern over northern China. The shear was captured well by the Doppler LIDAR at the airport and timely alerts had been issued. This study considers the technical feasibility of forecasting the shear feature using a high resolution numerical weather prediction model with a lead time of several hours. It turns out that the shear feature could be forecast well, and is generally consistent with the actual observations. However, there are still discrepancies between reality and the simulation, such as the strength of the shear and persistency of the feature. More cases of windshear at Daxing airport would be studied in the fu-ture in order to understand the nature of windshear over there.

This study investigates the energy profile of a regional hospital in North America using an ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Audit. The audit aimed to assess the efficiency of existing systems, identify areas for improvement, and recommend cost-effective measures to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact. The analysis revealed a well-maintained heating system with efficient boilers. However, a critical concern emerged regarding operational risks due to the lack of redundancy in the cooling system. To address this vulnerability, the study recommends installing an air-cooled chiller for increased operational resilience. The economic feasibility of proposed improvements was evaluated, highlighting the balance between initial investment and long-term savings in energy costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The findings contribute to the discourse on sustainable healthcare practices, emphasizing the importance of energy audits, strategic planning, and redundancy measures for optimized performance and environmental responsibility in hospitals.

Bacillus subtilis is a model organism used to study molecular processes in Gram-positive bacteria. Sigma factor B, which associates with RNA polymerase, is one of the transcriptional regulators involved in the cell’s response to environmental stress. Experiments have proven that the amounts of free σB (SigB) are controlled by a system of anti- (RsbW) and anti-anti-sigma (RsbV) factors expressed from the same operon as SigB. Moreover, the phosphorylation state of RsbV is controlled by phosphatases RsbP and RsbU, which directly dephosphorylates RsbV. A set of chemical equations describing the network controlling the levels of free SigB was converted to a set of differential equations quantifying the dynamics of the network. The solution of these equations allowed the simulation of the kinetic behavior of the network and its components under real conditions. In this study, the time series of protein expression measured by mass spectrometry were utilized to investigate the role of the phosphatases RsbU/RsbP in transmitting the environmental signal. Additionally, the influence of kinetic constants and the amounts of other network components on the functioning of the network was investigated. A comparison with the same simulation performed using transcriptomic dataset showed that while the time series between the proteomic and transcriptomic datasets) are not correlated, the results are the same. This indicates that when modeling is done within one dataset, it does not matter whether the data come from the mRNA or protein level. In summary, the computational results based on experimental data provide quantitative insight into the functioning of the SigB-dependent circuit and offer a template for the quantitative study of similar systems.

One of the most pursued predicaments in the recent past is the slowness in transmuting circular practices. In the hope for many apparent advantages, construction firms have been attempting to embrace circularity oriented functions, thus controlling its negativities, to the extent where possible. However, many of these are futile attempts that have been made ad-hoc without having validated policy instruments intact. Only a few studies have taken an overarching approach to address this matter and effectively inculcate circularity at construction sites. This article is aimed to fill this knowledge gap by introducing a structured outline resulting in 9 policy categories and over 100 policy instruments. Developed from a review of 90 studies selected from Google scholar platform and 16 policy documents essentially contributed by eminent research groups, these policy instruments were subsequently validated in a series of 18 semi-structured interviews with experts and industry personnel having international exposure in large scale construction projects. This study provides over 150 practical examples scaffolding circularity as a noble cause. Of a practical insight, a fundamental reconfiguration of site operations deem indispensable.

As the world’s second largest economy, China ranks amount the world’s top nations when it comes to carbon emission, and therefore its attitude towards climate change is closely followed by all parties concerned. There have been few researches on the role of environmental governance in low-carbon city transformation process, especially the Chinese one. This paper analyses the role of government environmental regulation played in the low-carbon city transformation process by taking Shenzhen as the research object. One of the world's youngest super cities, it also happens to be the lowest carbon emission intensity city in China. Striving to explore green low-carbon development path for the whole country, Shenzhen provides practical experience for countries to cope with global climate change. However, its efforts to reduce the total carbon emissions failed, but it emphasized the carbon emission intensity, which is consistent with the international commitments made by the central government. China’s policy towards handling climate change relies on hierarchical governance arrangement. The strength of the NGOs in the country is weak and incomparable with the government’s, which has mastered most of the resources and is just a reality in China.

Exploring the determinants of biological community structure is important not only for understanding the formation of the community, but also for promoting its biodiversity conservation. We monitored butterfly communities in a grassland and woodland area of Mount Fuji, Japan, and explored the environmental factors that influenced them. Multivariate regression tree (MRT) analysis generated a 3-leaved MRT (G1, G2, and G3) and showed the total explained variation of 64.4% in the species composition. The explanatory variables discriminating between the two branches in the first node and in the second node of the MRT were neighbouring plant community and management status, respectively. The neighbouring plant community was related to the distribution of butterfly dietary resources and contributed much in determining the species composition of the community. While the management status was largely related to the amount of their dietary resources, affecting the species richness and diversity. The PCA results revealed that the three key groups (G1, G2, and G3) were formed along the gradients of these two factors. Consequently, to maintain mowing management and the diversity of neighbouring vegetation is very important for the continuance of butterfly community diversity and composition and the conservation of Red Listed species in the area.

Global attention to climate change has surged since the advent of the Paris Agreement, intensifying the importance of measuring and managing carbon productivity indicators on a national level. Nevertheless, concerns persist regarding the reliability of such measurements because of inherent discrepancies in implementing and operating national-level carbon productivity indicators, coupled with their inherent uncertainty. This study proposes a multiple regression model to address these issues aimed at refining national-level carbon productivity indicators metrics, accounting for factors such as the gross domestic product and total greenhouse gas emissions by sectors. The objective was to offer insights into enhancing and effectively utilizing current indicators, enabling a more nuanced interpretation of the variation in the carbon productivity indicators across diverse industrial landscapes. This study showed that adjustments of the carbon productivity metrics reflect disparities in emissions across industrial structures, with countries characterized by high emissions from non-service industries showing improving trends. In addition, this paper proposes an auxiliary indicator estimating method for carbon productivity, emphasizing its utility in interpreting productivity indicators within the context of varying industrial compositions across OECD countries. This study underscores the inadequacies of the current national productivity estimating method, pinpointing areas requiring refinement. Specifically, the method for estimating the auxiliary indicator for carbon productivity guarantees enhanced rationality when integrated with current methodologies. Moreover, by elucidating the nuances of industrial structures, this study advocates for more sophisticated approaches to interpreting and managing the productivity indicators tailored to each unique economic landscape of each country. Nevertheless, the limitations stemming from data availability underscore the need for further research, particularly in refining the national-level carbon resource productivity indicators analyses and exploring the thematic productivity variations in greater depth. By addressing these gaps, future studies will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of national-level carbon resource productivity indicators dynamics and reveal targeted strategies for sustainable development.

Background and Objectives: Zonulin is a molecule that has been identified as an intestinal permeability marker in recent years. Zonulin previously linked to Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease but but its role in chronic kidney disease (CKD) was unclear. This study aims to investigate the relationship between Zonulin and systemic inflammation (SI), endothelial dysfunction (ED), especially renal functions, in patients with CKD. Materials and Methods: One hundred sixty-three participants were enrolled in this study. All participants were divided into two groups, patient and control groups, according to the presence of CKD (eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73m²). Results: A total of 104 patients with CKD (mean age 58.9 ±1.4) and 59 control subjects (mean age 59.0 ±1.1 ) were included, and age (p =0.934) and gender (p =0.196) were similar between the groups. In the comparison analysis, plasma zonulin levels in the CKD group (166.16 ± 53.54) were significantly higher than the controls group (143.30 ± 60.92) (p <0.001). In the correlation analysis, serum zonulin level showed positive correlation with claudin-3 (r =0.612, p <0.001), IL-6 (r =0.307,p <0.001), creatinine (r =0.313, p <0.001) and negative correlation with eGFR (r =-0.320, p <0.001) and TC (r =-0.074, p =0.047). Additionally, in linear regression analysis, zonulin level was significantly associated to eGFR, after adjustment for age and SBP (β value =-0.918, p =0.012). Conclusion: High serum zonulin levels in patients with CKD reflect increased intestinal permeability and were associated with impaired renal function. Moreover, it was thought that zonulin level could be associated with SI, but novel clinical studies were needed to elucidate its relationship with ED.

Work in the copper mining industry is often associated with exposure to respirable dust and respirable crystalline silica. This exposure has the potential to cause silicosis, a non-curable occupational respiratory lung disease. This study aimed at establishing the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, work behaviour and practice, compliance with safety standards and exposure to respirable dust. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted on 528 mine workers. Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used for descriptives. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with latent variables and partial least-squares (LVPLS) analysis was employed to determine the relationship among these variables. The results indicated that of the four (4) hypotheses, two (2) were supported and two (2) were rejected showing that there is a significant relationship between exposure to respirable dust and work behaviour and practice, as well as compliance with safety standards. Knowledge and attitudes towards respirable dust exposure did not significantly influence exposure. According to the results from the survey, positive work behaviour and practice as well as compliance with safety standards was significantly associated with exposure to respirable dust. It is recommended that the mine should focus on the miners’ work behaviour and practice and compliance with safety standards.

Under the new pattern of "Double-Cycle" economy, how to restructure the domestic economic structure to cope with the continuous softening of the global economic structure is an urgent issue. This paper empirically examines the impact of digitalization level on the division of labor in National Value Chain (NVC) within cities using panel data from 263 cities between 2001 and 2016, employing a spatial Durbin model.The study demonstrates that the digitization level can enhance division of labor in NVC in neighboring regions through spatial spillovers. An increase in digitization not only positively deepens the construction of NVC but also contributes to the development of NVC in adjacent areas.The digitization level can deepen the division of labor in NVC through the impact of cost reduction, consumption upgrading, and market integration. This effect exhibits regional variations, with consumption upgrading playing a crucial role in expanding the division of labor in NVC in the eastern region through improving digitization levels, while cost reduction is a key factor in the central region. The research results of this paper provide some empirical evidence for further progress and transition of China's NVC developing mode from the perspective of digital level.

In December 2019, an unusual cluster of pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan and promptly confirmed to be caused by a new virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) of which the disease it caused would be known as COVID-19. In March 2020, in the absence of any vaccines, and in response to the global spread of SARS-CoV-2 the UK implemented non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) measures in the form of a national lockdown to decelerate the spread. Compliance with NPIs can have significant impact on reducing disease transmission however there are currently no studies measuring compliance within the horse ownership world which naturally brings groups of people together during everyday caregiving activities. This article describes the reported horse owner compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to December 2020 as deduced from 1036 respondents which completed an anonymous online survey between December 30th, 2020 and January 11th, 2021. Where rules/guidance did exist, there was good compliance with 92.76% of respondents indicating that they were following them. The most common rule/guidance implemented was social distancing, which was also the most common rule/guidance to be breached. Riding with others whilst at the yard (hacking or in an arena) and meeting up with non-household members (family and friends) when off the yard were also common rules/guidelines breached. Respondents who kept their horses at either DIY livery, or on a private yard were most likely to breach rules/regulations whereas respondents who kept their horses at full livery were least likely to breach rules/regulations. The results indicate that compliance of horse owners with COVID-19 rules/guidance is high when rules/guidance exists. However, just under half of respondents indicated that there were no rules/guidelines on their yards indicating that there is room for an increased contribution from the horse owning community by encouraging more yards to impose control measures where they currently do not exist.

Premalignant lesions in the bronchial epithelium represent early stages of squamous cell lung carcinoma, challenging to detect with conventional methods. While previous studies have focused on gene expression, here we examine transcriptomic alterations associated with lesion development with the emphasis on protein-coding transcripts. We reanalyzed publicly available RNAseq dataset on airway epithelial cells from 82 smokers with and without premalignant lesions. Transcript abundances were quantified using kallisto, and differential expression and transcript usage analysis was conducted using the sleuth and RATs packages. Functional characterization included overrepresentation analysis (clusterProfiler), weighted co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and network analysis (Enrichr-KG). We detected 5,906 differentially expressed transcripts, with significant enrichment in pathways related to oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial function. Transcript-level WGCNA identified single module correlated with dysplasia status, enriched in cilium-related biological processes. Analysis of hubs within this module highlighted key genes including RABL2B, DNAH1, EFHC1 and VWA3A, and revealed transcription factors such as FOXJ1 and ZNF474 as potential regulators. Our findings underscore the value of transcript-level analysis in uncovering novel insights into premalignant lesion biology. By examining transcripts rather than genes, we identified potential biomarkers associated with early lung carcinogenesis.

Background and Objectives: Clinical trials are a critical step in the development of new medicines and medical devices, testing the efficacy and safety of new treatment regimens. However, if the results of clinical trials are not made public, the evidence base on interventions is incomplete and possibly distorted, which lead to suboptimal treatment choices and negatively affect public health. This study analyses and contrasts the laws and regulations governing clinical trial registration and reporting in China and the United States. Methods: We used desk research to compile, assess and compare current laws, regulations, compliance patterns, and enforcement mechanisms and actions in China and the United States (U.S.). Policy documents were downloaded from Chinese and U.S. government websites. A spreadsheet analysis was utilized for direct comparison. Results: Both China and the U.S. have laws and regulations governing clinical trial registration and reporting. Chinese legislation covers a broader range of trials. In the U.S. trial results must be disclosed to both the national regulator and the public, while Chinese law mandates disclosure to the regulator alone. Cross-country comparisons of regulatory compliance by trial sponsors are impossible due to the opacity of the Chinese data platform. Neither country effectively ensures that all clinical trial results are made public as required by the Declaration of Helsinki and recommended by the WHO. Interpretation: While neither country is perfect, both may be able to learn from each other. There is a major gap in the literature regarding the extent of non-publication of clinical trial results by sponsors operating in China.

Multimission satellite altimetry (e.g. ERS, Envisat, TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason) data have enabled a synoptic view of ocean variations in the past decades, including sea-level rise and mesoscale circulations. Since 2016, the Sentinel-3 mission has provided better spatial and temporal sampling compared with its predecessors. The Sentinel-3 Ku/C Radar Altimeter (SRAL) is one of the synthetic aperture radar altimeters (SAR Altimeter) which is more precise in coastal and lake observations. In this study, we validate Sentinel-3 Level-2 products in Baltic Sea coastal areas and two lakes in Estonia. Moreover, the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) Level-3 sea-level anomaly data and the Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) reanalysis model outcomes are compared with measurements from a tide gauge network. A dense in situ water level network deployed along the coast for geodetic observation was utilised to provide ground truths for validating altimetry results. Three validation methods were used for Level-2 data: (i) collocated Sentinel-3 and GNSS ship measurements; (ii) a national geoid model (EST-GEOID2017) with sea-level anomaly correction; (iii) collocated Sentinel-3 and buoy measurements. The validations were carried out in seven Sentinel-3A/B overpasses in 2019. Our results show that the uncertainty of the Sentinel-3 Level-2 altimetry product is below decimetre level on the Estonian coast and the targeted lakes. Results from CMEMS Level-3 showed a correlation of 0.8 (RMSE 0.19 m) and 0.91 (RMSE 0.27 m) when compared against tide gauge measurements and NEMO model, respectively.

Since its emergence, COVID-19 has caused a great impact in health and social terms. Governments and health authorities have attempted to minimize this impact by enforcing different mandates. Recent studies have addressed the relationship between various socioeconomic variables and compliance level to these interventions. However, little attention has been paid to what constitutes people's response and whether people behave differently when faced with different interventions. Data collected from different sources show very significant regional differences across the United States. In this paper, we attempted to shed light on the fact that a response may be different depending on the health system capacity and each individuals’ social status. For that, we analyzed the correlation between different societal variables (i.e. education, income levels, population density, etc.) along with healthcare capacity related variables (i.e. hospital occupancy rates, percentage of essential workers, etc.) with regards to people's level of compliance with three main governmental mandates in the United States: mobility restrictions, mask adoption, and vaccine participation. Our aim was to isolate the most influential variables impacting behavior in response to these policies. We found that there was a strong relationship between individuals' educational levels and political preferences with respect to compliance with each of these mandates.

Number of studies claim that tobacco control (TC) regulations are associated with reductions in smoking-related hospitalisation rates, however very few have estimated the impact of TC laws (TCL) at both countrywide and regional levels, and none of them - in relation to compliance with TC regulations. This study evaluates the effects of Russian TCL on hospital admission (HA) rates for pneumonia countrywide and in 10 Russian regions and the extent of these effects in connection with the compliance to TCL. Methods: HA rates for pneumonia during 2005–2019 were analysed to compare the periods before and after the adoption of TCL in 2013. An interrupted time series design and a Poisson regression model were used to estimate the immediate and long-term effects of TCL on pneumonia annual hospitalisation rates after the TCL adoption, compared with the pre-law period. The 10 Russian regions were compared using the TCL Implementation Scale (TCIS) developed on the basis of the results of Russian TC policy evaluation survey; Spearman’s rank correlation and linear regression models were employed. Results showed a 14.3% reduction in HA rates for pneumonia (RR 0.88; p=0.01) after the adoption of TCL in Russia with significant long-term effect after 2013 (RR 0.86; p=0.006). Regions with better enforcement of TCL exhibited greater reductions in pneumonia HA rates (rsp=−0.55; p=0.04); (=−4.21; p=0.02). Conclusions: TCL resulted in a sustained reduction in pneumonia hospitalisation rates, but these effects, varying by region, may depend on the scale of the TCL enforcement.